In a community
like this, the lines that separate one’s roles as
- physician,
- stand-in parent,
- encouraging advocate,
- listening friend …
may become blurry.
Professional
and social boundaries often direct us to define those lines of separation, and
to remain aware of the “hat that we are wearing.” However, life’s situations often make us
realize that we are already wearing more than one:
Sharing a seat on the bus with a
frightened young man with special needs, who
had violently objected to his exam earlier in the day.
had violently objected to his exam earlier in the day.
Dressing up and participating in a
play performed by the youngsters.
Treating the broken arm of your own
sponsor child, late on a Saturday night.
Joining a group of teenage girls in
their effort to cut the grass — with machetes.
Embracing a 5 year-old — his forehead smudged after having
received his Ash
Wednesday blessing from you — who, while still on the altar, asks you to recheck
his ear infection.
Wednesday blessing from you — who, while still on the altar, asks you to recheck
his ear infection.
In writing
about our connectedness to one another, Richard Rohr recognizes “the presence
of the divine in literally ‘every thing’ and ‘every one’.” Further, he describes the mysterious
relationship between God and man by stating that “God is a mirror big enough to
receive everything, and every single part of you,” . *
We are also
mirrors to those around us. If our lives
truly mirror our Creator to one another, we should put no limits on the light
that shines among us.
There is a
deep and peaceful beauty in living, working and being in a community where one
does medical volunteering. The beauty is
that the blurring of the lines that separate our roles, in fact, arises from
the softening of human relationships, and from the glare of the reflection of
the Infinite.
* The Universal Christ,
p.18, p.228
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