My Time In Hospital
January 2006
Having recently spent ten weeks in hospital it was only natural that I got to know some of my fellow patients quite well. I was impressed by their attitude towards their own ill health and the ill health of the other patients.
Away and by far the majority of cases, exhibited a patience with and acceptance of their situation, which was admirable. This seemed to be true not only of their attitude towards their own plight but also in their attitude towards their fellow patients. In the latter case the concern and helpfulness was often outstanding.
Everyone - in whatever `bay' I was in and many from the adjacent `bays' - knew I was a Catholic minister of religion, (not, I hasten to add, because of any overt religious exercises I engaged in), but religion or God never came up for discussion. They were christened in church, married in church (the first time) and would probably be buried from the church. In between, formal religion and prayer - even in the home or privately, would not figure.
Nevertheless these people were generally very good people. They showed a good-natured acceptance of their lot and a compassion towards each other that was truly Christian. What they thought about `God' and what their spiritual life consisted of I have no idea but I could see that, knowingly or unknowingly, they were recipients of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and were responding to these gifts. It was very clear to me that God looks after and cares for all his children whether they acknowledge him or not. God's love is truly unconditional.
From my infancy I have been brought up to regard priesthood and celibacy as inseparable and one did not even speculate about the possibility of their being two separate entities. It was the way things were. Just as today if you want to work on a building site you wear a hard hat. Whether it fits comfortably or not is irrelevant. Seeing, in hospital, the daily visits of spouses and the pleasure, support and comfort they derived from each other's company, the words of Gen. 2:18 - `It is not right that the man should be alone. I shall make him a helper' - were very much in my mind. Some had been together for many years (one chap was in hospital for his fiftieth anniversary) others for only eight or nine years. They would visit for long periods of time (maybe from noon to five p.m..). They might talk or just sit and read or hold hands while the patient slept. But one thing was obvious; neither of them wanted to be anyplace else or doing anything else. There was a completeness, a fulfilment in their just being together.
You could always spot the widower as he was being wheeled into the ward for the first time. A bit bemused, a bit lost looking, definitely an aura of aloneness, irrespective of how many loving daughters were in attendance.