Daily reflection for the Season of Lent

Sunday 14th March 2021

 

A church as a field hospital!

Recently I came across a copy of an interview with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church – Pope Francis. In the interview the Pope sought to portray the church as a kind of hospital. This is what he said: the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds. It needs nearness, and proximity. And he went on to speak of the church ‘as a kind of field hospital after battle.’ We are hospital for sinners, he said, wounds healed inside. A broken world needs a place to bring its spiritual injuries. We need an emergency room more than a courtroom. We want healing more than judgment. In the interview, the Pope told the story of a woman who had a failed marriage and an abortion. Her life continues. She remarries and has five children. She is much more than her sin. "That abortion in her past weighs heavily on her conscience and she sincerely regret it. She would like to move forward in her Christian life. What is the priest to do?" His answer is: Focus on the essentials first. Tell her the good news.

Another writer, Scott Dermer, puts it this way: ‘the church is the place of healing. The church is where people who are wounded by sin can experience Christ’s healing grace.’

Bible Reading

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the LORD has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Prayer

Most merciful and Triune God,
We come to you in our weakness.
We come to you in our fear.
We come to you with trust.
For you alone are our hope.
We place before you the disease present in our world.
We turn to you in our time of need.
Bring wisdom to doctors.
Give understanding to scientists.
Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.
Bring healing to those who are ill.
Protect those who are most at risk.
Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.
Welcome those who have died into your eternal home.
Stabilize our communities.
Unite us in our compassion.
Remove all fear from our hearts.
Fill us with confidence in your care.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Amen.

—Unknown Author

Mend What is Broken

Gracious God,
I call on you right now in a special way.
It is through your power
that I was created.
Every breath I take,
every morning I wake,
and every moment of every hour,
I live under your power.
I ask you now to touch me
with that same power.
For if you created me from nothing,
you can certainly recreate me.
Fill me with the healing power of your spirit.
Cast out anything that should not be in me.
Mend what is broken.
Root out any unproductive cells.
Open any blocked arteries or veins
and rebuild any damaged areas.
Remove all inflammation and
cleanse any infection.
Let the warmth of your healing
love pass through my body
to make new any unhealthy areas
so that my body will function
the way you created it to function.
Restore me to full health
in mind and body so that I may
serve you the rest of my life.
Amen

Blessing

Just as God’s Word was sent into the world
to heal and redeem,
so God sends you into the world this day
to be light and love, healing and hope.
Go now to be light for the world!
And may the grace and peace of God the Creator,
the Redeemer, and the Sustainer
come upon you this day
and remain with you always.
Amen.