June 24, 2009
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Malachai 3:1
Today is the feast day of the Nativity of John the Baptist. You know, the guy wearing camel hair shirts and eating wild locusts. In the Hebrew scriptures, we read in Malachai that they way will be prepared, and this sets up our understanding of John. When asked about Jesus, John replies, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) He seemed to know his place vis-a-vis Jesus.
I find the notion of "preparing the way" very intriguing. And humbling.
I don't know what will happen to the patients, families, or staff after my visit. I don't know how the didactic course on Theological Reflection about biblical themes that intersect our hospital experience will help me be a better Chaplain. I don't know how attending an interdisciplinary presentation about cancer will help me provide pastoral care. I just have some sense that right now, in this moment, these activities are preparing in me some depth of resource from which I can draw at some point in the future.
How are you preparing the way today?
No comments:
Post a Comment