The patient, who is christ

[Bro. David BSN]

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!!!

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I hope I have a nurse exactly like you if I ever need one, Bro. David.

[NurseSues]

I am so amazed that more people don't see this person as emotionally unstable.. Religious or not. Whether it was internal or not I don't think it is appropriate. I almost get the sense he was taught he would have this revelation at some point in his career.. It is odd. All I have heard from Bro. David are quotes and scripted phrases.. Nothing seems real or genuine. What if he saw the devil in someone?

[Fancypants09]

You people are becoming obsessed with this. Leave him alone! What business is it of yours what motivates another nurse? Let us ask every single nurse that we come into contact with what motivates them, and then analyze their way of thinking from our own perspective. Worry about yourself instead, you're no prize pig, or are you going to defend that statement too?

And guess what, everyone! Hate to blow the horn here, but there ARE people with the same mindset as the OP, in substantial numbers mind you, and now what are YOU going to do about it? Don't let those night sweats get you, sweet dreams!

[rn/writer, RN]

There is no need for anyone to engage in hostility.

If you don't have a good frame of reference for Brother David's experience, I'm sure it does probably sound a little weird. If you don't take into account that he made a conscious effort not to burden his patient with his thoughts, it could also seem inappropriate or disrespectful.

If you do get where Brother David is coming from, you demonstrate respect best by speaking courteously with those who disagree.

Mystical experiences are not limited to Christianity. And believing in them or having one shouldn't, in and of itself, invite ridicule or automatic disqualification to be a nurse. There are many millions of people on this earth who recognize that there are spiritual matters that transcend our limited minds. Surely, they can't all be psychotic.

Can't we all just agree to disagree and leave it at that?

[XXWeaponX]

Spare us all filipinos by saying no more sir. You can touch more souls by giving love to the universe in silence than trying to rile up something that doesnt seem to sit well for some. Thank you for all the feed back everyone. Namaste. And Spread the love. :)

And I hope I have a nurse like you, Zen 123, if I ever need one.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I am so amazed that more people don't see this person as emotionally unstable.. Religious or not. Whether it was internal or not I don't think it is appropriate. I almost get the sense he was taught he would have this revelation at some point in his career.. It is odd. All I have heard from Bro. David are quotes and scripted phrases.. Nothing seems real or genuine. What if he saw the devil in someone?

LOL, I think the devil is alive and well and quite visible in some people.

[JDougRN, BSN, RN]

I fully agree with you, and your original post. This behavior is very disturbing, and in my mind, I also fear that the OP sounds psychotic. This behavior indicates a break with reality, and oftentimes, when cloaked in the guise of religious fervor, it is overlooked. If this is the case it is not just the patients that are at risk, but OP himself.

However, your commentary on his English, when I believe he indicates he is in the Philippines in his profile or post, comes across as xenophobic and unnecessary. I think we can all agree that what is disturbing is the content of his post, not his grammatical errors. Pointing out " 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. To me, this sounds like a very ethnocentric person" and "(again, in broken, hard to understand English)" is uncalled for. His post wasn't in broken English,it had some grammatical errors, but not many. Nor was it hard to read, in fact the message was loud and clear, which is why so many of us are aghast after reading it.

I'm impressed by people that speak multiple languages, and I wish I was one of them. We native English speakers aren't better than anyone else. I hope that in the future, you can focus on the excellent points you made about the post/OP and leave the jingoism behind.

I was not in ANY way attempting to poke fun at the OP because of his grasp of English- Exact opposite, I was wondering if the cultural and difficulty with the English language might have been in part why I found this post so disturbing- It was NOT a bash. Secondly- I believe EVERYONE is entitled to their own beliefs, and even if I don't agree, I still believe they should have the right to believe and worship as they will.....here's the catch though people- My perception of the original article was that the OPs personal faith was perhaps more than a bit zealous, and to me, it sounded like some of his reactions were not normal. It did say, that he ran from the room in tears- I have teared up over pt.s at times, but not because it was induced by religious fervor, nor do I believe it sounded correct for the OP to be up all night- Has a pt. made me lose sleep? Yep- We have ALL had those patients- my point, that I perhaps didn't make very well, was that the OPs individual beliefs seemed to be affecting him too much, and I didn't find it appropriate- Again, am NOT NOT NOT bashing the OP, but let me try to make a comparison. What would most of the reactions be if I posted an article about my difficulty with dealing with the death of a child, and how I cared for a child, who reminded me SO much of my own lost child that I had to run from the room, and how it kept me up all night, and how I saw the face of my own child. I'm just suggesting that perhaps the OP could use a bit of professional distance. AND I SAY THAT WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT. It is my opinion, and you know what they say about those :)

[rn/writer, RN]

Thank you for clarifying the meaning of your earlier posts. I think the fact that your stuff came up in the midst of other posts that were calling the OP psychotic and delusional may have colored the way your thoughts were received. Thanks for coming back into the discussion. I really mean that.

My perception of the original article was that the OPs personal faith was perhaps more than a bit zealous, and to me, it sounded like some of his reactions were not normal.

They were not normal for for most people, but nuns and monks center their lives around serving and connecting with God. The experience the OP wrote about was not "normal" for him either, and we know this because it was remarkable enough for him to write about it, but people who live with a constant, conscious spiritual awareness are probably a little more "primed" to have such an experience. It was abnormal in the sense that it was an uncommon event, but still normal in being consistent with the religious life the OP chose.

It did say, that he ran from the room in tears-

This might seem like a picky semantic difference, but he said he politely excused himself from the room. Then he ran to the chapel. This indicates that, although he had strong feelings, he was still in control enough to exit with proper decorum. It's a little thing, but one that says to me he was still showing courtesy and consideration toward the patient, even though his emotions were intense.

I have teared up over pt.s at times, but not because it was induced by religious fervor, nor do I believe it sounded correct for the OP to be up all night- Has a pt. made me lose sleep? Yep- We have ALL had those patients- my point, that I perhaps didn't make very well, was that the OPs individual beliefs seemed to be affecting him too much, and I didn't find it appropriate-

Not knocking what you're saying, but, I guess it's the nature of a mystical experience to be somewhat inexplicable to those who do not share that belief. It wasn't the patient who made him lose sleep. He said, " All my mind was occupied by the tender love of God to us." I've had moments where I'm overwhelmed at the thought that God loves me just as I am. I can only imagine how much more powerful his encounter was.

Again, am NOT NOT NOT bashing the OP, but let me try to make a comparison. What would most of the reactions be if I posted an article about my difficulty with dealing with the death of a child, and how I cared for a child, who reminded me SO much of my own lost child that I had to run from the room, and how it kept me up all night, and how I saw the face of my own child. I'm just suggesting that perhaps the OP could use a bit of professional distance. AND I SAY THAT WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT. It is my opinion, and you know what they say about those :)

I totally agree that you are not bashing the OP. There isn't any sense of disrespect in your post. Thank you.

Your analogy is an interesting one. The main difference is that in this example, the emotions would be generated by a sense of loss, while the OP's experience was something more positive.

Because the OP felt this story remarkable enough to write about, I'm thinking it was a rarity for him and not something likely to occur on a regular basis. It's probably unrealistic to tell a religious brother to not view his world through a religious lens, but earlier in the thread I did say that practitioners who have this world view need to discipline themselves to keep their emotions in check so they can do their jobs. If a religious brother or sister kept having mystical experiences, I would think their superiors would want to evaluate the situation and perhaps consider that the person is being guided in a different direction.

Thank you for your post. This kind of discussion is worthwhile and beneficial.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

Religion is a polarizing issue and any time discussion about one's personal beliefs as a Christian is brought up and influences one's decisions either in the field of politics, healthcare, or education, people get riled up. I understand that entirely as I am also an American who knows that political correctness is a big deal in this country. However, I was born and lived 25 years of my life in the Philippines and I totally get the context of which the article was written. I was brought up Catholic in the Philippines though I no longer consider myself religious, but rather spiritual. The kind of Catholicism practiced in the Philippines relies heavily on religious imagery of the Crucified Christ, the Virgin Mary and her sorrows, and the saints and martyrs of the faith. The Spanish, indeed, used this as a ploy to convert the "savages" they found on the shores of the Philippine Islands to Christianity. The kind of preaching contained in the article from the religious community in the Philippines is not at all unusual. Because Catholicism is practiced by majority of Filipinos, it controls the very way of life of the people from politics to education to healthcare. I attended a non-sectarian university where our capping and pinning ceremony was held at a Catholic Church and we had a graduation mass after finishing our BSN. This article may not have been ready for prime time...the American Allnurses crowd that is, but I totally get it and didn't think much of it when I read it.

[rn/writer, RN]

Thank you for some much-needed context for the original article. I think a good part of the initial backlash was partially due to a lack of awareness about the cultural differences between the OP and most of the readers.

[Bro. David BSN]

I am reading the comments, and as most of the people said here that I am in different culture. YOu can judge me. but you cannot uproot the faith that had rooted in my heart. It is where i will stand. Maybe some of you may disagree with me. It is your choice. It is what you believe. I wrote this to other to be inspired in making such practice to their patient (seeing their patient as Christ or a Divine ). I don't force you to believe nor i am convincing you. If you make my English to be poor i am sorry for that for it is only my third language.

[rn/writer, RN]

Seems like a good place to wrap up this thread. Thanks to those who participated in the discussion.