(Fr. Tom’s “Courier” Newspaper Articles)
An article written recently was an obituary to common sense. In the last number of years, many have speculated that commonsense has indeed died a death. I was reminded of the article last week when, on a visit to the hospital in Ennis, a patient told me about a community nurse in England who was suspended from duty for offering to pray for a patient.
The 45 year old nurse was removed from duty in December after asking an elderly patient if she wanted her to pray for her. Apparently the 79 year old patient was not offended but was taken aback by the suggestion and reported the comment to her carer. So the nurse was suspended while an investigation was held on suspicion of failing to demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity.
The local Health Trust who took the action explained that, when it comes to matters of faith, the initiative lies with the patient and a nurse can pray with a patient if the patient asks. Personal beliefs come secondary to the needs of the patient.
After the incident made national headlines the nurse was reinstated and she explained how she will continue to pray and offer spiritual support because she cannot separate her faith from her profession, “It is the most natural thing to do when I’m nursing” she commented.
Offering to say a prayer for someone can hardly be classified as being over the top, overzealous or crossing personal boundaries. I believe that a person is free to decline your offer and that their own personal beliefs should be respected.
It seems that in the 21st century in the name of tolerance, equality and diversity your right to express you faith, even in such a modest manner is unacceptable to some in modern society.
Prayer and healing were intimately connected in the ministry of Jesus. We are called to do so by means of service, opening ourselves to the needs of others. The Gospels challenge us to hunger and thirst for what is right so that, like God, we might feed the hungry with good things.
Farewell to a Friend
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; relatives and friends being banned from cooing at and touching newborn babies in a hospital in Britain in order to uphold their respect, dignity and privacy; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a Band Aid to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense became disillusioned when criminals received better treatment than their victims and when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home as the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense took a beating after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. As was a man who sued a Las Vegas Hotel and casino, claiming that they were negligent in allowing him to gamble away more than $1 million while he was intoxicated.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live when a City Council proclaimed that Christmas should be called “Winterval”, the world’s largest retailer required its employees to say “happy holidays”, fearing the traditional “Merry Christmas” might offend customers, and in a few universities last year, Christian societies were told by their Students’ Union that they could no longer confine their student membership to Christians as it would be discriminating against non-Christians.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else to Blame, and I’m A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.
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