I'll admit that I often do not especially think of the working poor. I walk among and with them daily, yet do not let the poverty into my consciousness. This reality came to me yesterday as I unwrapped the book I need to read in preparation for a conference call and discussion.
This past summer, I spent four days with several hundred Sisters and Associates of a Franciscan community. One of our tasks was to gather with the work/ministry groups that we had chosen several months earlier. I had chosen the "poverty" group. Discussion nearly immediately focused on the working poor. On several occasions, I interjected the need to look beyond monetary and physical poverty. My several suggestions were the poor who are in mourning, feeling disenfranchised, are seriously ill, have no family members and/or are all alone during difficult times. My comments were acknowledged, yet there was no further comment along the lines I had suggested. As our meeting drew to a close, we were reminded to read THE WORKING POOR by November!
Last Sunday, I was honored to celebrate the Eucharist in the parish where I am a priest in residence. The folks who attended the 8 AM Mass voiced their concerns regarding the calling of a new priest. The rector of nine years resigned this past July and the parish administration is in the hands of the vestry and a rota of "supply" priests. The 10 AM folks appeared to be a bit less disturbed by the process of calling an interim priest yet, the atmosphere during the service and coffee hour was subdued.
I see parishioners in similar situations as members of the "poor." This is a poverty of spirit as they worship with a different priest every week. Although the parishes had suffered financially, things had been picking up. Now, all there seems to be is uncertainty. This is hardly an isolated situation. Roman Catholic parishes are struggling with bishops who appoint "Old Rite" priests who want to return the Mass to Latin, turn the altar toward the wall, and sing hymns that have no basis in the changes of Vatican Council II. There is a parish in our community where these reversals of Vatican II have taken place and over 200 parishioners have split from that parish and now worship without a priest.
GLBT women and men continue to find failure to legalize their relationships as marriages. They are denied the richness of open, honest, loving relationships and the support that brings couples. Additionally, they are denied health care insurance, the ability to adopt children, and the involvement of the the other in work community sharing, parties, discussion groups and the like. Gay Roman Catholic priests are not able to be open about their sexual orientation. Despite the recent invitation of the pope to Anglican clergy who are in disagreement with gay/lesbian clergy and women bishops, those gay Anglican dissidents will need to remain hidden lest they find they do not fit into the Roman Catholic Church.
Lesbian Roman Catholic Sisters most certainly are present in many religious communities. The second of a three stage "inquisition" of American Religious Orders of women, questions the membership of lesbians in communities, as well as how often the sisters confess their sins, attend Mass, and other "concerns."
Lastly, I think of my own mother who is nearly 84 years old. She has been a widow for 21 years and she lives in an apartment complex of mostly older single and married women and men. Initially, my sister lived nearby, but she and her husband moved to London and Mom only saw them a couple of times a year. Their six children all saw Grandma's as a hub for connection as they made their ways back and forth from London to Chicago. Now, the only family left in Chicago is one 30+ yr. old grandson and his spouse. They get together for supper occasionally, and Mom is thrilled to still have someone nearby.
Jesus and Francis loved the poor and reached out to them no matter what the source of their poverty. My greatest concern is that we not narrow our view and therefore, exclude all who need our love, support, care and prayers.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Strength in the midst of Pain and Loss
This is a continuation of my last entry. My roommate received a phone call from her sister in Missouri. Their mother (wife of "John" from the post) had become weak and disoriented in the nursing home and had been taken to the Emergency Room and admitted to the Critical Care Unit where she was being monitored. It didn't seem necessary for "Liz" to come home yet. The following morning we were awakened by the same sibling saying that their mother was not improving and less than 30 minutes later, we were called again telling us to come to Missouri; all the (adult) children would be gathered at the hospital.
Twelve hours later, we arrived at the hospital. "Liz was breathing on her own, but her expiration's were being assisted by forceful pressure through the mask. She was non-responsive. There was no grasping when her hand were held, no indication that she heard those around her.
Everyone was prepared to remove life support once the physicians agreed that although they did not know exactly what had happened, the length without any response to a multitude of medicantions and treatments seemed to indicate that "Liz" would not recover.
All that was needed now was the opinion of the infectious disease physician. His initial belief was that "Liz" had meningitis although this was not confirmed by spinal tap because of her unstable respiration's. The physician entered the room and said, "we need to triple the dose of the antibiotic and keep an eye on your mother for that time." Not unlike the time they had just spent with their father and although this plan of action seemed like grasping at straws, the decision was made to try the increased dosage of medication.
One daughter remained at the hospital while we all went home. The phone rang at 3 AM and we were told to "come now, Mom's worse." The seven children stood around their mother's bed and could barely watch her struggle for each breath. They asked the nurse what would be necessary to have "Liz" removed from any life suppport. She said that the three principal physicians who were caring for her would have to see her and that her primary physician would have to agree to remove life support.
What a long and painful day. Finally, the infectious disease specialist visited "Liz." His response to withdrawing life support was that "the medication hasn't had time to work." He did say that there "might" be some other process going on her her brain but that the neurologist would have to address that! When the neurologist arrived, he agreed that this was not simply meningitis or some other infection, but other brain malfunction as well. Although he didn't firmly say, Yes, stop treatment, he did indicated that there was a good chance that this was not reversible.
About 1PM the last physician visited. He didn't say "Yes, stop treatment," but when asked directly about the possibility of recovery, he responded, "I don't believe that she will improve or recover." Once the necessary physician orders were written to remove the forced oxygen and the medications and to provide comfort rather than curative care, "Liz" began her last decline.
About 7 PM, we were called to CCU and told that "Liz" was being moved to a private room on one of the medical units. There the family would have room and privacy. We were asked to wait in the CCU waiting room while "Liz" was prepared for transfer. The wait was at least 45 minutes. Finally we saw the bed with a nurse and the eldest daughter coming down the hallway. We took the next elevator up to the to the medical floor. As we looked at "Liz" we all noticed how still she was and how dusky her face appeared. "Liz" had died, probably in the elevator! She could have had everyone with her as they were with her husband two weeks earlier, but there was such a move to get her out of CCU now that she was dying!!!!! Liz died two weeks to the day of her husband's death. Her funeral and burial are now following that pattern.
Compassion has no place in the natural order of the world which operates on the basis of necessity. Compassion opposes this order and is therefore best thought of as being in some way supernatural.~John Berger
I would take this quotation even further to say "perceived" necessity. Unless someone was going to suffer or die without the room in which "Liz" was dying, what justified moving her? What was the rush? Did anyone consider the comfort she might have had by having all of her family continue to surround her, rather that be taken across the entire hospital and placed in room that she did not even live to occupy?
Twelve hours later, we arrived at the hospital. "Liz was breathing on her own, but her expiration's were being assisted by forceful pressure through the mask. She was non-responsive. There was no grasping when her hand were held, no indication that she heard those around her.
Everyone was prepared to remove life support once the physicians agreed that although they did not know exactly what had happened, the length without any response to a multitude of medicantions and treatments seemed to indicate that "Liz" would not recover.
All that was needed now was the opinion of the infectious disease physician. His initial belief was that "Liz" had meningitis although this was not confirmed by spinal tap because of her unstable respiration's. The physician entered the room and said, "we need to triple the dose of the antibiotic and keep an eye on your mother for that time." Not unlike the time they had just spent with their father and although this plan of action seemed like grasping at straws, the decision was made to try the increased dosage of medication.
One daughter remained at the hospital while we all went home. The phone rang at 3 AM and we were told to "come now, Mom's worse." The seven children stood around their mother's bed and could barely watch her struggle for each breath. They asked the nurse what would be necessary to have "Liz" removed from any life suppport. She said that the three principal physicians who were caring for her would have to see her and that her primary physician would have to agree to remove life support.
What a long and painful day. Finally, the infectious disease specialist visited "Liz." His response to withdrawing life support was that "the medication hasn't had time to work." He did say that there "might" be some other process going on her her brain but that the neurologist would have to address that! When the neurologist arrived, he agreed that this was not simply meningitis or some other infection, but other brain malfunction as well. Although he didn't firmly say, Yes, stop treatment, he did indicated that there was a good chance that this was not reversible.
About 1PM the last physician visited. He didn't say "Yes, stop treatment," but when asked directly about the possibility of recovery, he responded, "I don't believe that she will improve or recover." Once the necessary physician orders were written to remove the forced oxygen and the medications and to provide comfort rather than curative care, "Liz" began her last decline.
About 7 PM, we were called to CCU and told that "Liz" was being moved to a private room on one of the medical units. There the family would have room and privacy. We were asked to wait in the CCU waiting room while "Liz" was prepared for transfer. The wait was at least 45 minutes. Finally we saw the bed with a nurse and the eldest daughter coming down the hallway. We took the next elevator up to the to the medical floor. As we looked at "Liz" we all noticed how still she was and how dusky her face appeared. "Liz" had died, probably in the elevator! She could have had everyone with her as they were with her husband two weeks earlier, but there was such a move to get her out of CCU now that she was dying!!!!! Liz died two weeks to the day of her husband's death. Her funeral and burial are now following that pattern.
Compassion has no place in the natural order of the world which operates on the basis of necessity. Compassion opposes this order and is therefore best thought of as being in some way supernatural.~John Berger
I would take this quotation even further to say "perceived" necessity. Unless someone was going to suffer or die without the room in which "Liz" was dying, what justified moving her? What was the rush? Did anyone consider the comfort she might have had by having all of her family continue to surround her, rather that be taken across the entire hospital and placed in room that she did not even live to occupy?
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