“The Corporal Works of Mercy are found
in the teachings
of Jesus and give us a model for how we should
treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise.”
~United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The above description of the Corporal Works of Mercy reminds us that Christ
lives within all of creation, unifying every living being. When we experience this
sacred reality, we come to understand our actions as a means by which we may
bring healing and wholeness to the Body of Christ. As our Bon Secours Ministry
Volunteers practice the Corporal Works of Mercy through their service, they develop
a deeper appreciation for the web of relationships which connects each of them
in both an intimate and a personal way to all those they meet in their daily
lives. In the reflections below, the BSVM volunteers share encounters which
illustrate this growth. It is in the act of responding to their neighbor’s
hunger and thirst for dignity through the Corporal Works of Mercy that our
volunteers meet Christ in service.
~ Olivia Steback, Program Manager, Bon
Secours Volunteer Ministry
Feed the Hungry and Give Drink to the Thirsty
By Gerard Ondrey
When I bring a patient
a container of apple juice or a pack of graham crackers, it often doesn’t
register in my mind as a significant action.
After all, most patients get three meals a day while in the hospital,
something many of them do not receive outside the care of Bon Secours Baltimore
Hospital. However, during my year of
service I have come to realize the importance of these gestures lies not in
their magnitude, but in the greater recognition of the human dignity these acts
symbolize.
The patients I
encounter, many of whom struggle with poverty, homelessness, drug addiction,
and other afflictions which contribute to their marginalization from mainstream
society, are not used to being waited on or served. On the other hand, I am
accustomed to going out to restaurants with family or friends, people taking my
order, cooking my food, filling up my drink glass, and removing my dishes when
I am done. When offering a patient a
snack, I don’t quite have the selection of a five-star restaurant to choose
from, but when I am asking a question as simple as, “Would you prefer apple,
cranberry, or orange juice?” I feel I am
embodying the ways in which I have been served. “Waiting” on patients, taking
their “orders”, bringing them food, and clearing things away when they are
done, feel like true acts of mercy. I am showing them that I find them
important by honoring their requests and responding in a full and prompt
manner.
In my mind, this is
what it means to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy of feeding the hungry and
giving drink to the thirsty. In the above scenarios, the acts are not important
because the people I am serving are in danger of starving to death in that
moment, but because of the dynamic they represent; seeing and honoring Christ’s
presence in all people elicits the desire to serve.
Shelter the
Homeless
By Alex Yeo
Through my ministry in
the emergency room I have been able to work with many of the homeless men and
women who reside in our community. These individuals come to the hospital
seeking medical care and assistance with their social problems. My role, when I
first meet them, is to ensure that their non-medical needs are addressed. One
of the main organizations the hospital partners with is Healthcare for the Homeless,
a nonprofit that provides medical care and social service assistance. With
their aid, I have been able to provide patients the support and resources
needed to help them transition out of homelessness.
Visit the Sick
By Mackenzie Buss
Our volunteer community has been fortunate enough to avoid sickness so
far (thank you Lord!) but, every day at the hospital, we work with those from
the greater West Baltimore community who are ill. In my experience, it is often
the sickest patients who are the most difficult to 'be present to'. All of our
renal patients have a lot going on in their lives, from physical ailments,
comorbidities, and actual disability to the myriad social problems that living
in an impoverished neighborhood presents. In spite of the massive obstacles
that all our patients face, there is still a huge range in energy levels and
general overall health. The chipper, friendly, energetic patients are often the
easiest to build relationships with. At first, I was daunted by the prospect of
talking to the older, quieter, sicker renal patients. As I have grown and
learned with Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry this year, I have come to
understand that our service isn't necessarily about entertaining patients,
solving little problems, or even listening to them. It's about being there
for them with your whole soul.
That is the mentality that empowered me to smile a bit and sit down next
to one of our elderly, quiet, very sick nursing home patients. Sometimes, I'll
hold her hand or say something that I am thinking of, but mostly I just sit
there beside her. It's really a silent visit, a moment of being present to one
of my sisters in Christ in the only way I know how - to just be together. I
don't have much else to offer her, but something about those tiny moments, no
matter how small and simple, just feels right. It's like a little slice of the
Holy Spirit is there in right relationship with us as we sit and simply be
together.
Visit Prisoners
By Elizabeth Modde
It is
not unusual to pass a man or woman walking down the hallway in handcuffs,
flanked by two security guards. Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore ministers to
patients from the Department of Corrections. In fact, some patients admitted to
St. Martin's Hall Inpatient Unit will be discharged to the police. Seeing these
patients, shackled to their beds, I find myself trying to imagine what they
must be feeling. Some are visibly anxious. With a small idea of the
dehumanization that can be experienced in prison, I feel privileged to extend
warmth and kindness to our prisoners at the hospital. Recognizing basic
humanity and dignity, of both patients and the guards in their rooms, can be as
simple as smiling and offering a cup of water.
Bury the Dead
By Alex Yeo
In the ER, you rarely
get the opportunity to develop a lasting relationship with a patient. There is
a very specific process: triage, treat, and either discharge or admit to the
inpatient floor. The focus is on efficiency not casual conversation.
Regardless, many of the patients that come to the ER frequently are often too
intoxicated or incapacitated to engage in conversation. This year, however, I
had the privilege of meeting a patient, let us call him David, who had
developed a lasting relationship with the ER staff.
David, admittedly, was
not the most pleasant patient to work with; a homeless alcoholic he had been
cycling through the ER for over twenty years. I was always impressed that
despite how frustrating it was for the staff to see him constantly return to
the hospital, they were able to retain hope for his future. He was always given
a place to rest out of the cold, a warm meal, and often times new clothes. The
ER staff was his family. Their relationship may have begun begrudgingly but was
now one of love and concern. When David
passed away this winter, the mood in the ER was one of sadness and relief.
Knowing that he had moved on to a better place brought solace to those who had
worked with him.
Being one of the last
people to work with him, I was given the task of organizing his memorial
service. Visiting the different departments of the hospital to raise publicity
about the service, I was amazed at how many people in the hospital knew of him
or had stories about caring for him. The hospital staff had given him many
resources and much love, but he also gave back to us. During those difficult
and frustrating moments of caring for him, he taught us how to love and to be
patient; how to look past one’s impulsive judgments and tap into a deeper
desire to care for one another as members of God’s creation. For those lessons
we are eternally grateful and his presence will be greatly missed.
Give Alms to the
Poor
By Nicole Odlum
Through my ministry, I
had the privilege to deliver Christmas gift bags to the many seniors I visit
every month for blood pressure screenings. Around Christmastime each year,
women from local Baltimore churches donate gift bags filled with simple
personal hygiene products, laundry and dish detergent, and hand-knit scarves.
For many of the residents, this may be the only Christmas present they receive.
When I told them they could keep the entire bag of gifts, the look on their
faces was humbling. The gratitude and appreciation they expressed was inspiring;
this simple, unexpected gift bag brought them so much joy. One woman actually
came back down from her apartment after leaving with her gift bag to thank us
again for the things we gave her. That was an extremely powerful moment for me,
because I realized how much these simple items, items most people consider a
necessity, meant to the seniors.
Pope Francis writes that, “Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new
life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope.” Please continue to remember our volunteers in
your prayers as they take Pope Francis’ words to heart and strive to
courageously live lives of mercy and hope.
To learn more about Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry, please click here.
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