A few years ago, I was about to sign on the dotted line for a knee replacement by one of the doctors in a very large orthopedics practice. At the last minute it occurred to me to ask how that might affect the arthritis in my hip and a long history of spinal stenosis. I assumed that with all his experience as well as access to xrays, etc. of the hip and spine he could offer me some insight.
“Oh, no, you will have to see another colleague in this practice who specializes in hips and spines’.
I had a sense of being two persons… the “knee” in 404 and the “hip in 405. I also thought of the saying that sometimes specialists see everything in terms of the tools they are comfortable with.
I share this not so much in frustration with the medical establishment but as a metaphor for what is going on it our polarized society. People are seeing the whole of our society through their particular lens. They seem to have no interest in or ability to see the bigger picture.
I also see it as an example of why Paul felt compelled to write to the Corinthians. (12:21 ff)
there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
Pope Francis
I also thought of Pope Francis. He never tires of calling for us “to renew our commitment to love and care for our common home and for the weaker members of our human family.” Elsewhere he says “As the tragic coronavirus pandemic has taught us, we can overcome global challenges only by showing solidarity with one another and embracing the most vulnerable in our midst.”
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” [Laudato Si’, 12].
What we can learn from the “mystics”
I thought of St. Vincent, “the mystic of charity”. As all mystics, he was aware that every person has dignity and all are interconnected. His concern was neither compartmentalized nor selective. He grew in awareness of the universality of a kingdom in which all were welcome regardless of place in society. He became more and more aware of the connection he had with all in the body of human society. To him, all lives mattered, especially those who were shunted aside in his day. He also treated the whole person of those in need – body and soul.
See the whole picture
- Reading Paul’s words, what do they say to our society and to me today?
- What conversion does Francis’ words call you to… “we can overcome global challenges only by showing solidarity with one another and embracing the most vulnerable in our midst.”
Click below for a audio version of this Vincentian Mindwalk.
Father, once again, you’re reaching into my head and pulling out some recollections that were buried for quite some time.
The selective lens through which I look alters my perspective. I am a big fan of Dr. Mardy Grothe, a psychologist who has written a number of books on words and how we use them. He has amassed an extensive archive of quotations and the sources for the quotations on his website (https://www.drmardy.com/).
I have examined his and other collections of quotations and learned that so many folks had keen insight into the human condition and expressed it oftentimes in very clever ways. Dr Mardy’s citations make it easy to discover the book or other reference where the quotation came from. I have downloaded several books based on those pearls of wisdom.
Alas, many times, the book itself does not provide the insight expected from that one quote. So many times, the author rambles through a grove of trees and it’s hard to gauge what is really going on. That has taught me to be careful about building an entire perspective from one article or one phrase cleverly chosen. I have expanded that to not embracing one group or another based on a single idea, no matter how deep-seated or well-intended it may seem to be.
Caring for the Other, as you have so often alluded, seems to override nearly all other perspectives on life. To oversimplify a meme floating around the Internet, “You can be anything you set your mind to. Set your mind to being kind.”
Thank you John for using your personal medical challenge as a perfect analogy! It resonated with my and my family’s experience and led me to see Paul and Francis’ thoughts in a fresh, personalised way – which is what they intended but didn’t quite stick with me before! Grateful too for Larry Huber’s recommendation.
What if ecology were to become what rock music was in the ’60’s as far as a unifying force for all the good that is present in our youth, today?
We cannot fix a problem like poverty without fixing the root of it, that is, ending a society that makes very few rich and the rest of humankind poor while damaging the planet, too.
Speaking as a person who has had total bilateral knee replacement and has, at the same time, problems in my lower back, neck and feet, I see what a complication it is to cure one area without any regard for what this cure does to the other areas of our body.
Good reflection, indeed, Fr. John!
There are absolutes that the human heart and morality cannot discern. For example, Pro-Life is the respect of the dignity of all life from conception to natural death. This is not just anti-abortion. It includes anti-death penalty.
Yes, All Lives Matter, to JESUS but unfortunately we live on earth where the hearts and morality of men decide which lives matter.