Pope Francis - We Should Take Lessons

I like history.  So, although I do not regularly listen to or read any news, I did, to a certain degree, keep track of Pope Francis’ visit to the US.  And I’m so glad I did.  I got a powerful  view of what Christianity should look like.  I’m not Catholic, but I can certainly say that, from my perspective, Pope Francis’ behavior and words reflect so much more closely the God we believe in than the actions and speeches of far too many of our U.S. protestant leaders.

I’m sure many would disagree with me.  But I challenge anyone to carefully review the assertions of our Christian leaders.  Don’t just look at the issues they speak about; opinions with which you agree.  Look at the entire context of their speech, ignoring the issue or person about whom they are speaking. 

They talk about themselves; what they have done.  They make sure to emphasize how they are badmouthed; how they are mistreated and discriminated against because they are Christian.  With disappointing regularity it’s all about them.  They talk about others or to them in disrespectful terms.  They make statements about others that are glaring examples of a judgmental nature. 

I also encourage anyone to go one step further.  Try and find documentation of how frequently these leaders humble themselves and actually go to those in need.  I’m not talking about at the time/s of some natural disaster or war contrived by a few.  I’m referring to places like those the Pope has taken time to visit. He met with abuse victims.  He went into a prison.

I found that particularly touching and especially illuminating.  Pope Francis  reassured the inmates that “all of us have something we need to be cleansed of, or purified from.”  Wow!  Here is the religious leader of an estimated 1.2 billion (with a “B”) people.  He isn’t just a national figure.  He is a world figure.  AND, he is a head of state.  Nonetheless, in addition to the White House and the United Nations, he included a prison in his itinerary.  I remind myself that this is the same man who imitated his Lord once by washing  the feet of both the elderly and the young.  So, this visit is another demonstration of a man trying to live out his faith .

One of the huge number of people at the Mass in Philadelphia concisely expressed my point of view, saying, “It’s a(n) historic moment...This is a guy who has caught the attention of everyone.  He’s everyone’s pope.  Non-Catholics, even atheists.” 

And another verified my contention that the Pope’s speech and activities do not lift himself up; they mirror the savior he believes in, “We are having a blessed time.  The weather is beautiful, the people are beautiful.  All these Christians who want to celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ.”  

Leaving Church Frustrated and Angry - Over Healthcare

So, the 65 year old mother of one of the guys in my small group at church has breast cancer.  Last week she was admitted to the ICU of the hospital in the Florida community where she lives. 

It has been difficult for her son who lives here, a good 10 hours away.  This is especially true since his father is disabled and in a wheelchair.   When he first learned his mother had cancer he had hoped to get there for a good visit and see what he could do for both parents.  He now has no idea how he can possibly go unless the worst happens.  Why?  Because of medical expenses for his 12 year old daughter.

Several times she was sent home from school due to an acute headache and resulting illness.  At one point in time she had to be taken to the emergency room.  Her speech had become slightly slurred, her vision was somewhat affected and she had some numbness down one arm.  An MRI showed no brain tumor.  However, in due course, she was diagnosed as having severe migraines. 

But surely, medical insurance would pay for most of the emergency room visit and an MRI on a child, right?  Absolutely.  Just as soon as an annual deductible of $3,000 is met.  To those who have always had excellent medical insurance coverage and/or have $3,000 that doesn’t sound horrible, does it?  BUT, some, even with both husband and wife working, simply cannot afford $3,000 per year in medical bills.  And this young family is in this category. 

Later, when I had an opportunity to talk with the couple privately, I asked if they minded sharing with me how a family handles medical expenses that cannot be paid all at once.  Here’s what I was told. 

Previously you received a bill and you paid the hospital whatever amount you were able to each month.  Now, unfortunately, the hospital does not do its own billing.  A third party administrator does that.  AND, you must pay 8% interest on any unpaid balance.  I repeated that in order to be sure I heard correctly.   Sadly, and what I think should be to our extreme shame, I had. 

They went on to say that because the interest on their credit card is less than 8% they had paid the bill in full and now had to work to pay off that credit card balance of $2,800.  Of course, come January 1^st the deductible for their medical insurance would start over at $3,000.  So, should there be any other medical bills in 2016 that are beyond their ability to pay immediately, that amount would have to be added to this balance of $2,800.

Now you know why I left church totally irritated.  Not good, I know.  But truthful.  At issue for me is the fact that, all too frequently, I hear it proudly asserted that we are a “Christian” nation.  We Christians believe we have received grace, although we do not, in any way, deserve it.  We believe in loving others as ourselves. 

I left church wondering just how many of the Christians I know would want to:

·       Have several frightening incidences concerning their child’s health?

·       Worry about not only paying medical bills, but paying interest on any balance?

·       Have that worry while also having a very ill parent?

·       Wonder if they could afford to go visit that sick parent and be unsure, only because of debt incurred while trying to get help for their child?

I dare say none. 

So what has our Christian stance been with respect to healthcare?  We have bought into the very non-Christian idea, promoted by Christian leaders, that some people don’t pay taxes, but want healthcare; that they should have to pay something into the system in order to get something.  (These Christian leaders are referring to income taxes, but fail to make that clear.  They don’t mention that these people pay sales tax; that would weaken their argument and some Christians might not get as indignant as needed.)  We have bought into the idea that we don’t want to pay for these; they really don’t deserve it. 

We have NOT given thought about those who are just like how many of us would describe ourselves:  people who work hard, who are raising (or have raised) good kids, who attend church regularly, who pay income taxes.  The difference is that they have less than we do.  We assume it is their fault.  The unspoken assumption is that others are guilty until proven innocent. 

We do such a pathetic job of using the intellect we believe God Himself gave us.  We don’t stop to consider that maybe some are gifted for jobs that, although critical to all of us, simply do not pay well.  We don’t stop to consider maybe they are helping (or have been helping) parents who are sick and/or disabled.  We don’t stop to consider that in addition to worrying about medical expenses, these families have no idea how they will help their child(ren) go to college. 

And it’s all because we are so afraid someone will get something s/he does not deserve.  And we don’t want any of what we’ve worked for to be taken from us.  Now, although we believe in always giving thanks, we don’t believe it applies to being thankful that we were given the intellect, the right parents, the educational opportunities AND ongoing health to accomplish what we think we have. 

So, if I do a school exercise of comparing and contrasting, just how might we Christians compare to Jesus Himself; the One for whom we say we live; the One who gave up everything for us, although we say we were and are undeserving? 

To get an honest, straightforward answer I think I would like to talk to non-Christians or atheists; you know, the ones we Christians say just don’t understand because they don’t believe in the God we do.  Were I one to bet, I would bet they would see no real similarities between us and Jesus.  But I sincerely imagine they would see our behavior as completely contrasting that of Jesus.   And you know something, I feel very sure I would win that bet. 

But I do know one thing for sure.  I know that no one of any other faith, no one who is agnostic, and no one who is atheist could be more disgusted with Christians than I.  And I include myself.  I do so because I have not been assertively adamant with Christian friends at church or anywhere else about just how selfish we are and about just how NON-Christian we really are.  Shame, shame on me!!!

My Brother's Suggestion

Okay, my brother is like super, super smart.  You know, the off the chart kind of smart.  Just keep that in mind.

So, a while back, I was asking his opinion about programs that type what I am saying, exactly as my Android phone does for texting or sending emails.  I was looking for ways to continue my writing "therapy" as my neck problems now frequently make sitting at the computer really troublesome.  My intent is to do my best to "journal" my journey towards eventual neck surgery, as opposed to the alternative.

So, he explains these programs to me, but says he wants to make another suggestion.  "What's that?', I ask.

"A verbal journal", replies he and proceeds to tell me how to record my voice and send it as an email, post it on Allan's Facebook and/or post it on my blog.  Who knew?

I'm intrigued, of course, being the very techy person I am.   But accepting that I am not the most succinct person, I want to know about editing.  "How would I go about editing?", I innocently inquire.

"Well, that would be difficult."

"So, what does that mean exactly?" I persist.

Knowing it is I to whom he is speaking, he still responds with "I guess you'd really just want to get it right the first time."

I did mention just how smart he is right?

Commentary About Healthcare

Notes:

 ~  I wrote this on August 31st but am just now able to get it posted.

~  This post is reflective of my frustration and disgust with not only our healthcare system, but also the point of view of so many of my fellow Christians.  

~  If you are not a Christian, nor hold any religious beliefs, this post should still not offend you.  In fact, if you are as baffled by and as sick of us Christians as I am, read on!

Sunday morning and I’m ironing a blouse for church.  I recall that just a few years ago Trista spent one summer cleaning houses and for one extremely wealthy family, doing the ironing.  I think back on the various types of work she has done and a recent experience when she was ill that I found especially frustrating. 

Her first job was during her senior year of high school, working at a local pharmacy.  Since that start, before getting more permanent jobs and in between, she did tutoring, taught part-time  at 3 different colleges around the Cincinnati area, provided all day childcare, worked as a waitress, and taught summer classes.  I feel like I am forgetting some job that should be part of that list, but my point is made, I think. 

She worked hard enough during her college years to be offered a fellowship.  So she spent two years completing her master’s degree while teaching classes, and working weekends at Pedro’s Restaurant.  

She spent years teaching at Cape Fear Community College.  Currently, in addition to teaching her own Zumba classes, she is also a Zumba Jammer, meaning she trains Zumba instructors.  She teaches a number of different types of fitness classes at the YMCA and the Hospital Employees’ Fitness Center, has personal training clients, and if necessary, fills in at the desk of the Health Center.

Even if she were not my daughter I would call the person who has been willing to do all this as a hard worker.  So the fact that not long ago she was turned away from an Urgent Care center because her type of medical insurance was not accepted and had to go searching for a facility that would accept her insurance I had found particularly exasperating. 

But not wanting to begin my day on a frustrating note and having finished ironing my blouse, I let it go and discipline myself to stop thinking about what I see as the unfairness of it all.

My small group at church are all younger than I.  We begin “class” with prayer, asking if anyone has a particular prayer request.  Oddly enough, medical benefits are mentioned.  One group member has been offered a new job she would like to take.  But, she is concerned about medical benefits.  Her husband is currently the victim of downsizing and is looking for a new position.  Both she and he are most worried about having medical insurance; the income being secondary. 

Yet another young woman went through a fairly recent employment change.  For her also, the source of anxiety had been medical benefits.  Although literally a “small” group, at least five in the group have been in the same dilemma at some point in time. 

The Small Group ends and I go to the sanctuary to attend service.  While waiting, I once again, like I have so frequently in the past, question the current assertion that we are a Christian nation, built on Christian principles.  I deliberately set aside the instances of hard working people I personally know who have been apprehensive about being without medical coverage.  Likewise, I refuse to consider the man I know, still working after 45+ years, whose contractually provided medical insurance was simply taken away.  He had to withdraw $26,000 from retirement savings for medical expenses. 

I focus instead on just what “Christian” is.  I look around at the symbols of the Christian faith: the cross, the stained glass windows depicting Jesus interacting with others, the Bible alongside the hymnal on the back of the pew in front of me.  I contemplate the words associated with the Christian belief and concentrate on the one most often used to define this religion, “grace”.    When speaking of “grace” we emphasize that it is “undeserved”.  Grace absolutely excludes “merit”. 

On their own, my thoughts drift back to fears of some in Small Group and to Trista’s experience.  I think on the fact that I hear universal healthcare is unfair because some do not pay taxes.  So, if I understand correctly, we, the Christian nation, determine a basic human need on merit, on what a person contributes.  I look back at the cross in front of the sanctuary.  Thinking of our society outside the church, I see, superimposed on that cross, the faces of America’s founding fathers; and the U.S. Constitution.  My thoughts shift quickly to another principle of Christianity; that of our sinfulness.  I get confused. 

We, as a “Christian” nation, rather than use the person of Jesus and the foundational principle of grace to define Christianity, we use the persons who founded our country and the document they conceived, to determine our actions.  And in wanting to punish those we judge and perceive to be undeserving, we also mistreat those we probably would count as worthy and eligible were we not so busy pridefully touting our Christianity and using as proof our heritage born from men; men who Jesus, when looking down from that cross, saw them just as He sees us, as flawed and sinful people totally undeserving of anything.  

I’m still confused.  But I am glad to be in church where I can glimpse what true Christianity looks like; every human equally loved and appreciated, everyone being of equal status and our realization of the truth that God does not categorize any of us as deserving.