How many of you have ever watched the television show, M*A*S*H? I was always taken with that show, a mix of comedy, intense drama, and a group of very different people with different ideas, all working together to save lives on the front lines of a war zone. That show, the flawed but loving characters, and most importantly, the mission of true field hospitals (and the brave real-world men and women who saved so many of our soldiers) has been etched in my soul, especially after our trip three years ago to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. We were called to make the Catholic Church a “Field Hospital” by Bishops and Cardinals during the meetings, illustrating the direct action we are expected to take as Catholics in the world around us. We are not supposed to shut ourselves off from the world, but focus on healing it. This past weekend, that same theme was present in Dublin at the World Meeting of Families, only now we are also in need of healing ourselves, given the current environment we find ourselves in.
Cardinal Tagle of Manila gave the most impassioned commentary on what it means to be a Field Hopital Church, and his words still ring true, especially today:
My task this afternoon is to reflect with you on the family, a home for the wounded heart. I will try my best.
First, I would like to invite you to consider the different types of wounds that we experience and encounter.
Then, we will turn to Jesus, the Wounded One, whose preaching of the Kingdom of God included the ministry of healing.
Then we turn to the Church, the Body of Christ, definitely made up of wounded men and women, yet called to share in the redemptive mission of her Lord and her Head, Jesus Christ.
And finally, I would offer a few tips on how we, as wounded people, could be agents of healing in our homes, and in the wider home of the Church…
So let us start with some consideration about wounded hearts. Of course the heart here is not just an organ within the body. When we talk about wounded hearts, we’re talking about wounded persons. All people are wounded. I guess no one here in this assembly could claim, “I have never been wounded.” All of us have been wounded, and continue to experience wounds in our hearts.
There are different types of wounds. Some, physical. Some, spiritual. Some, emotional. Some, relational. Some, financial. And there are different causes and different consequences. But whatever the nature might be of a personal wound, it always affects the family and, consequently, a person’s social relationships.
All wounds hurt. But wounds are more painful and hurtful when we see our family members suffering. When somebody inflicts a wound on our family member, we are also wounded. They become our own wounds. But most hurtful are the wounds inflicted on someone by his or her own family members. The sacredness of the family is wounded by that…
Wounds make persons, families, and communities vulnerable to manipulation, bitterness, despair, exploitation, and even vulnerable to evil, to sin. Some people fall into crime, criminality. They start thinking of evil deeds because of deep wounds. Interior division, the division within me; and the external division, conflicts – they all lead to alienation.
“I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know whether I am accepted by my family. I do not know whether I belong to society. I am an alien. I do not belong. I don’t have a home.”
This is usually the experience of wounded people – alienation, homelessness. You may have a big, big beautiful house, and still be homeless. For what is a home? A home is not measured by how many acres you have, on which the building called a house sits. No. A home is the gift of a loving presence.
I remember in my youth a beautiful song. It says, “A chair is still a chair, even when there’s no one sitting there. But a chair is not a house, and a house is not a home when there’s no one there to hold you tight, and no one there you can kiss good night.”…
Some Fathers of the Church say that in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was really talking about himself. Someone attentive to those left dying on the roads – that is Jesus. He was really talking about himself. And we can agree – yes, he is the Good Samaritan. Every person wounded, even if a stranger, even if an enemy, I will love and care for.
Remember, in the parable was a Samaritan, which at that time was considered an enemy of the Jews. But if you want to heal, ha! The test is, are you willing to heal even your wounded enemy? Nobody claps. (Laughter, then applause) I caught you there!
But Jesus stops and heals even those who planned to persecute him.
Remember how in John 13, he washed the feet of his disciples, including those who had planned to betray him. You heal even your enemies. (Applause) Why? Why? That is the way of the Kingdom of God – very different from the ways of the kingdoms of this world…
Now that leads to the Church, the home for the wounded hearts. By Church, we mean the Body of Christ, that is present in every local congregation, like the parish, like the diocese, like your religious order or society of apostolic life, and most especially, the family, the home, the domestic church, the church in the family…
We are one Church, one home, one family. The Church must embody the redemptive mission of God…
First, we must realize that all healing comes from God. It is the initiative of God.
Secondly, healing is situated best in a community, the family, the parish, the school, the band of friends – without forgetting the involvement of the wounded person. He or she must also be courageous in taking the path toward healing, conversion. Let us not forget the liturgical, sacramental aspects – baptism, Eucharist, sacraments of forgiveness, reconciliation, the anointing of the sick, the ethical dimension.
Joseph Kelly proposes some practices based on the image of the Church as a field hospital – an image which is dear to Pope Francis. I see some people taking down notes. Please do. There is an exam after this talk. (Laughter)
Joseph Kelly said, if we are serious about healing in a field hospital setting, first, we must keep in touch with Jesus, the chief physician. We should be humble. We cannot heal simply by our human efforts, even our psychological counseling skills. We all turn to Jesus.
Secondly, let us recognize our own wounds. Facing our own wounds will enable us to be compassionate and understanding to the wounded.
Third, we should not be afraid of the dark. When you deal with wounds, oh my! Wounds are never clean. They could be bloody and raw. We should be ready to enter that dark world.
Fourth, we must accept that the Church is a field hospital. We should be ready to respond in emergency cases. We should be prompt with creative solutions. We should be agile and flexible.
Fifth, we should be infuse the field hospital with hope. We cannot be healers if we look desperate. I don’t know how those glum looking people could even generate trust and healing. Smile please. (Laughter)
Sixth, often, when we try to heal or help Jesus heal, we have no choice but to be quiet, silent. No words, no solutions. We just provide a loving presence. Discernment is essential…
That’s home for the wounded heart. Thank you very much.
– Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle 9/24/15