On Monday morning (21 August) the "Good Shepherd Nursing College" celebrated an opening Mass for the opening of the academic year. It was followed by a "lectio brevis" by Ms. Xolisile Dlamini on cancer burden in Swaziland. I was very happy to be there, much more when someone mentioned it might be the first time in history it is done.
Below, my homily during Mass.
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Transformed and sent by the Spirit
Let me tell you a personal story.
I was bishop in South Africa before being transferred as bishop of Manzini. Like I do here, I used to go around the area visiting our communities. During my visits I would meet young people finishing their high school. I would then ask them: what are you planning to do when you finish? Some would say: I would like to become a social worker.
My answer was always the same: I do not like social workers. They would open their eyes big and I would then explain: I came across some who do not care about our people; they just seem to care about getting a salary at the end of the month. Social workers in South Africa have the power to transform the lives of the people by helping them access government grants but... they don't. I know painful stories.
Their answer would always be the same: I would be different.
I somehow understand the problem. Degrees they get might make them think they become “professionals” and never consider that as God's call in their lives. It seems to be easier to see a priest, a pastor, a bishop as someone following God's call than to see your own as a call from God.
Sometimes people reach a point of checking a career according to the salary she would be getting.
God is never part of the picture. Or nearly. He is always present at the moment of writing exams or getting the money to pay the college! These are moments when everyone wants to make sure God is on board.
When you are a Christian you believe God is part of your life 24/7 and not just whenever you want him to be part of it. For some people – a friend of mine used to say – God looks like a supermarket where we go when we need something. The rest of the time we can do well without Him. Not for us Christians. Our lives comes from him and our baptism makes us in a special way his children.
Therefore your journey towards nursing is – hopefully – God's call. I hope and pray that if it is not, God will help you see that sooner than later because in your hands will be the life of the people in a very delicate moment of their lives.
That is why I found it excellet that we celebrate this Mass praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit upon you because – as Jesus says – without him we can do nothing.
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| Fr M. Makama who organized the whole event |
All three readings and the Psalm talk about the work of the Spirit in the life of the faithful. I would like to underline just two of them.
The Spirit transforms us. It is easy to see. In the Gospel which I believe might be a familiar passage we see the apostles gathered in one place with the doors locked. They are afraid. They are terrified. They are paralised. They are sad. They probably think: They killed our master, they will be coming for us.
Jesus comes among them. He breathes on them and they are transformed from fear to courage, from being paralised to going out, from silence to witnessing, from sadness to joy. It is a powerful change in a short space of time.
Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit upon you daily so that the Spirit transforms you. Do not think it is enough to pass the exams to be a good nurse. You need much more than that. You might know many things but lack the most important one which is the compassion that comes from the heart and from our faith. Without it you could be professionals with a cold heart.
Our “Catholic Nurses' Guild” say: “See Christ in every person”. Your studies won't give you that. The Spirit will. You might be able to tell me that this motto certainly comes from Matthew 25 but unless you are led by the Spirit, you won't be able to see Christ in every person coming to you.
We need to be transformed and it normally does not happen instantly like in the Gospel. It is not a one off thing either. It is a process that normally takes the whole of our lives.
Pray for the gift of the HS. Pray to the Father in Jesus' name that he sends you the HS to make you nurses according to his heart.
The Spirit sends you in Jesus' name. The second image is that the Risen Jesus sends the apostles in his name. Therefore the Spirit sends us. In other words, your call to be nurses is God's call for you to go to the world in His name.
You might come across nice patients but many times you won't. They need you to understand them. They need you to help them experience God's loving touch and care. They need to move from the Jesus they read in the Gospels to the one that becomes flesh in your lives. It is to them that God sends you.
You won't be able to cope without the gift of the Holy Spirit. You might do it one day or two but sooner or later the challenge will be too much.
Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit to transform you during your studies and to be with you as you serve the people. The quality of the care and service in our country depends on that.
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| Group photo with the Principal and the Staff at Good Shepherd Nursing College |
