Reaching out to those who suffer

I was once the proud owner of a moped, my economical transport to work at a Dublin hospital. One glorious day, I set off for work as usual. Then the heavens opened and a deluge of rain poured down on bone-dry tarmac, a treacherous combination. As I entered a major roundabout, the bike skidded, and I was thrown off. As I lay prostrate on the ground and unable to move, a car approached. Two doctors got out, examined me and called an ambulance. It was embarrassing to arrive in A&E in my workplace and to have to relate what had happened. However, I was treated with the utmost courtesy and care and witnessed the same compassion being extended to all around me. Fortunately, I had not sustained any major injury and was discharged later that day, grateful to be alive.

Some years later, I arrived at the scene of an accident in London. A young pizza deliveryman had been knocked off his motorbike. He spoke no English and was clearly distressed. I attempted to comfort him as we awaited the ambulance. When the paramedics recommended hospital admission, he rose and stumbled away, leaving his bike by the roadside. I suspected that he may have been an undocumented worker and was afraid of either losing his job or being deported. My heart ached for him.

We meet many who are bruised and broken by harsh experiences. Some suffer great physical pain, others a dark cloud of sadness, the grief of loss robbing life of joy. Economic hardship and political turmoil ravage world peace. We place our hands into the glorified hands of Jesus, so that, fortified by his grace, we are more able to reach out a hand of friendship to all who suffer.
Sr Siobhan O’Keeffe, The Sacred Heart Messenger, January 2023