In every patient that we encounter, we should always treasured them and make them realized that the loving Lord is with them and caring for them.
One Day we are on our patient audit for 3-11 shift in the next day in one of the hospital in the Philippines. I was called by our Clinical Instructor (CI) and I was assigned in a patient with full thickness burns. The patient was in the 50's . During our conversation and Nurse Patient Interaction getting the necessary health data and information of the accident there is something I feel inside me, It is very strange, something unusual, my heart beats fast, and then suddenly I saw the scourged Jesus in Him , the one that is likely shown in the passion of Christ. I saw in his eyes the suffering that he was encountering as what our Lord experienced during the time he was hanging on the tree of cross. I heard in his voice the agony and pain, like Jesus whispering in me "Come my Dear, come and comfort me" . I feel the totality of putting myself before the tree of the cross when our Loving lord was in HIS last moment of His life.
As the time gone by, I am enjoying the moment with my Lord, but I cannot bear the felling within , I want to cry ! I want to hug him! I want to say "Lord I love you please forgive me of my hardheadedness!" . But I must do the right thing, maybe if I did such thing he may encountered more injury because of the open tissue ; or maybe get insulted. I did not show to my patient the tears within my eyes. I didn't want to allow my patient to see the uncovered pain of my sliced heart.
I politely excused myself and run to the chapel of the Hospital, where my tears burst and my heart weeps. Once again I felt that I am placed on the time where the Loving lord was being whip by the sharp metals of the Roman soldiers. I felt the pain of being scourged, persecuted and left.
During the night I can't sleep . All my mind was occupied by the tender love of God to us. Giving His most precious son Jesus Christ. Meditating on the Paschal mystery of Jesus. The pain and the joy combined. Pain because of my sins, my shortcomings and my naughtiness. Joy for this treasured moments and experienced that HE (Jesus) unveiled to me.
I had served the patient with all my Best. Serving a King. I saw in him the Lord . My Master my Love my all! And that experienced was cherished inside me. The calling within the call as mother Theresa said was experienced by me.. Thank you Lord... Thank you Jesus!!!
My inital reaction to the original post was somewhat similar to those who have been gently chided by administration; however, the "ickiness" or "inappropriateness" of his thoughts or feelings (however fervently expressed on an online forum) are not things we should be judging. His actions seemed appropriate, and that's what matters. If Bro. David saw Christ, whether figuratively or literally (preferably figuratively), in each of his patients and was able to care for them and ease their suffering with a full heart and hopefully not creep them out by throwing himself at their feet and speaking in tongues or something, then there ya go.
Thank you for a sensible approach to an emotional subject.
NRSKarenRN's explanation that this man is a brother in a religious order explained a lot.
How come the person who wrote the original post has not responded? Perhaps he is not in some sort of delusional state? No matter what anyone believes, the patient is not or was not Christ. Sorry bud. And by the way, what was the religion of the patient? Did this person even know?
Someone posted later in the thread that it looks like the OP is a Catholic religious brother (a monk) who is in training to become a nurse.
He may not have come back because, a) a religious brother in nursing school would not have a lot of free time, and/or, b) he felt a little stung at the intense negativity of the reactions from the first day.
I hope he does come back again.
"religious incontinence" - good term
"You have a nurse who 1. Has a POOR grasp of the English language.- I seriously hope that the reason this post is so disturbing is because the OP didn't have the correct grammer to get across his points."
Uh, it's grammar. The English language is definitely a challenge.
What a ridiculous thread this is - from the original post to mine at this moment.
thanks for your different perspectives on this interesting post, nrskarenrn and rn/writer. i found particularly valuable the reminder that
the op is from the philippines. english may not be his first language. many people who learn to speak a second (or third or fourth) language struggle with idiomatic speech. one result can be a message that seems overly dramatic. (emphasis added)
i have to say that my response to bro. david's piece was coloured partly by the dramatic pacing and emotive language, and partly by what i think, in retrospect, was an unfair comparison with a nurse with whom i used to work. not, to the best of my knowledge, particularly religious, she would react oddly during dramatic events (like codes), first pushing people out of the way to assist (in one case attempting to bag a conscious patient) then getting overwhelmed, bursting into tears and running out of the room; in one case she was found being comforted by the family of the patient as he was receiving cpr.
the reference by bro. david to being overwhelmed by emotion, running to the chapel, his heart weeping, and his being unable to sleep connected him, for me, to this other nurse. i overlooked the part where bro. david also said
as the time gone by, i am enjoying the moment with my lord, but i cannot bear the felling within , i want to cry ! i want to hug him! i want to say “lord i love you please forgive me of my hardheadedness!” . but i must do the right thing, maybe if i did such thing he may encountered more injury because of the open tissue ; or maybe get insulted. i did not show to my patient the tears within my eyes. i didn’t want to allow my patient to see the uncovered pain of my sliced heart. (emphasis added)
i'm still not entirely comfortable with bro. david's fervour, and i'm still concerned that though he refrained for reason both physcial (risk of further injury) and psychological (potential for insult) that he wanted to hug the patient not for the sake of the patient but because he was an embodiment of the lord. i also stand by my observation that
i'm distressed that your thoughts lay solely with your religion, your connection with god, the meaning this had for you, with nothing for your patient except how he served as a tool for this experience.
however, i also accept that this discomfort is connected to my responses and associations as well as his writing. i hope for his sake that this kind of response is rare because otherwise his nursing career will be exhausting. i, too, hope bro. david returns to the board, and i'd be interested in his response to the comments on this thread.
"What a ridiculous thread this is - from the original post to mine at this moment."
I rescind this statement. I have a tendency to type things like that when I've wasted too much time on here & have either had too much or not enough you-know-what.
It's an interesting thread, and the original post has been the impetus for some honest self-investigation and insightful commentary. I'm too lazy to figure out how to add a quote to my replies, but it would be this or something just as obscure and annoying:
"What does not change / Is the will to change." - Charles Olson
Wait, also: Wouldn't it be great if Bro. David was a fictitious persona conceptualized by some bored and talented RN in Middle America? Or not.
Bro. David, I am sorry for all these people's responses....I know how you feel and I know your experience was from God. I am glad for you that Jesus opened your heart to see Him in that patient. But also you're blessed for having these people say those things about you! Remember that and continue to be blessed and let your heart be open to Jesus :) may you feel that compassion for all your patients and have the grace to do what you need to do at the same time
As a Catholic Seminarian and based on the conduct of St. Francis my favorite saint. We are on respect on race, color and religion. As a nurse I have the responsibility to care for my patients need, in what ever his creed was. As a seminarian it is my responsibility to offer all my service to my God "What you did to the least of this brethren you did it to me". I must see to it that the patient feels the love of His God through me. (Alter Christus). I had already encounter many patient of different creed but i do my obligation the same... to be Christ to them and see Christ in them... with respect of their religion. What matters her is the action and service you are doing.
Your behavior belongs only for patients who are of your religious beliefs. Please do not treat other people in a way that they may not believe. It is rude. It is selfish. It is crazy. If someone like you came to my hospital bed with your behavior, I would be shocked as hell. I suggest you keep these thoughts to yourself and get what good you can from it, but leave the patient alone unless the patient needs and asks for it. I would be insulted. The problem with people like you is that you think others are thinking like you and that you are doing them a favor. Wrong.
My Brother... I have already handle many patient of Different creed. I treat all people under my care as Christ...serving HIM with all my best in respect to the clients creed. Christ did not teach us to discriminate people but to serve people; not to hate but to love. To preach through action not only by words. I had already encountered client who are, Muslim, Jehovah, Buddhist etc. When i pray with them I pray with respect to God. and I never adressed God as God... but as Higher Being. We share our faith in harmony and not in conflict... trying them to develop a strong Spirituality in who ever he believes of.
Bro, sorry but you have it 100% wrong. Not everyone wants you to see Christ in them or as Christ. That can be very disrespectful. If you cannot see this, you are looking at religion thru your eyes only and not thru anyone elses. Christ may be "it" for you. But you need to realize that Christ may not be "it" for others you are treating as if it is. This is poor judgement. Please think about this. As they say in America, "there are many ways to skin a cat". Meaning that your way may be good for you and great, but it may not be the way for the other. It is simple thinking.
rn/writer, RN
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