Message to the Members of the Family of Saint John of God
My dear Brothers, Co-workers and Friends,
Throughout the world, on March 8th the followers of Saint John of God are asked to stop and to reflect briefly on what we are doing, how we are doing it, for whom are we doing it? Another question one might pose would be, “is what I am doing true to the inspiration and example of our Founder, Saint John of God; if John was here today,
what would he be saying to us?” The answer to this question has consequences for us as individuals, the future of our
organisation, and for the work of Saint John of God as a ministry of the Catholic Church. I say this, because we are custodians of a dream, John of God’s dream, John prayed ‘to have a place of my own where I can bring the poor, sick an abandoned mentally ill and care for them as I wish.’ We all know that when John did get his ‘own place’, he was true to his promise, so much so, that he is recognised in health circles today, as the Father of the Modern Hospital. On the one hand, some might say, John has set the bar a bit high for us! On the other
hand, I personally can testify from what I have seen and experienced visiting our centers and services around the world over many years, John would be astounded and delighted at what has been accomplished in his name. John would say, and happily say, as Jesus himself said to those who believe in him, not only will you do what I have done, but you will do even greater things (John 14:12). The good news is, this is happening throughout the world in more than 450 health and social care services. Endeavouring to be faithful to the original inspiration and example of the Founder assures the authenticity of the services that is provided and especially of the manner in which it is provided.
John of God was a simple man who had several crises in his life, not one or two, but many, yet in the end at the age of 42, which was very old back in the 16th century, he initiated a movement, that has lasted for almost 500 years. Today, we know this movement as the Hospitality Movement that was and is a powerful force for good in the world. “Although we often think of hospitality as a tame and pleasant practice, Christian hospitality has always had a subversive, counter cultural dimension: hospitality is resistance” (Christine Pohl). Pohl, continues, “hospitality was crucial to the survival, identity, and growth of the early Church.” Christian Hospitality, which is what John’s Hospitality is, was born or came into existence in the heart of a poor man, John Ciudad, who was himself, marginalised, homeless, penniless, and rejected by society. Hospitality, born in the heart of John, comes from a ‘heart that sees’, sees people differently, sees the world differently, sees the importance and beauty of life differently. Hospitality in the manner of John of God can be an antidote to the ‘throw away culture’ of our time, a counterculture if you will. Taking this stance, can bring certainchallenges, because sometimes it goes against some of the commonly held views, populism, beliefs, and practices of our time. Pope Francis states that in a “throwaway
culture” “Human life, the person, are no longer seen as a primary value to be respected and safeguarded.” I suppose when one thinks of a ‘throw away culture’ the obvious victim is our environment, resulting in climate change and the dreadful consequence that this is already having around the world. An example of this is disposing of materials that end up in landfills after a few days or weeks of usage, plastics etc. Many of these not only do harm on land, but also to fish life in our seas and oceans as well. More importantly, in my opinion, other victims of this selfish mindset are, unborn children, the elderly, people with a disability, the needy, and the disadvantaged. Pope Francis warns of another challenge “not to waste people.” He said the throwaway culture uses people only so long as they are useful, after which the person is only a bother to society.
Hospitality in the manner of Saint John of God is the complete opposite, the antithesis of this type of mindset. The ‘heart that sees’ i.e. Hospitality in the manner of Saint John of God, is driven by different motivation, guided by different values that inform and drive the mission. Respect and love for all life, human life from conception ‘til natural death, care for mother earth and our environment.
The protagonists who continue this Hospitality Movement today, are the John of God People / Saint John of God Family, (known in Ireland, simply, as John of Gods!) ordinary people with extraordinary dedication, commitment, and love for people, especially those brothers and sisters most in need. This spirit is inherited, passed on, learnt from, imbibed, you might say, by osmosis, from one generation of Hospitallers to the next.
Down through the five centuries, ever since John of God set up his House of Hospitality for the poor and disadvantaged people of Granada, he added a temporary shelter for up to 200 homeless travellers beside the House of Hospitality, (our present day leaders in
some of our cities could learn from John), millions upon millions of people have found a place they could call home away from home, where everything was done to provide them with what they needed to restore their health – mental, physical, spiritual and psychological. For some, at the end of life’s journey to die with dignity, others to be helped to reach their full potential and live independent, meaningful, and happy lives. John’s dream is being fulfilled today around the world by his followers, religious and lay. This is what we are celebrating par excellence, on March 8th. Yes, we remember with gratitude the man who began it all, John of God, who became a Saint, the man who
made a difference in the lives of the poor and marginalised people of Granada, and the man that left his followers a rich legacy, a blueprint on how to care for one’s brothers and sisters – The Hospitality Movement. At the beginning of this message, I suggested that all of us might take a little time to reflect on what we are doing, why we are doing it, for whom are we doing it. Advocating on behalf of poor and marginalised people is part of what we do, as a Saint John of God Organization. This was clearly evident in the action taken by Saint John
of God Community Services in recent times. Difficult and painful as the decision was, it was the right thing to do and thankfully, the subsequent discussions with the relevant authority had a satisfactory outcome. With regards to advocacy, which is what Community Services were doing, one of our Health Care Chaplains, in a message of support, reminded us of a Saint John of God story. John was on his rounds begging for the people in his House of Hospitality, when he came across the body of a dead person huddled in the doorway of a house. As John did not have the money to give the corpse a decent, dignified burial, he brought the dead man on his back to a rich man’s house. On arrival at the house John requested the necessary funds to provide a decent burial for the poor man. The rich man told John to
get lost, or similar words of disdain and rejection and slammed the door in John’s face. John placed the dead man on the rich man’s doorstep and knocked on the door again. Sir, John said to the rich man as he opened the door, our brother is dead, what are we going to do about it. Somewhat embarrassed, the rich man gave John the necessary means to fulfil his Christian duty, and both were enriched. The Chaplain concluded her comforting message, with “Thank you for all that you do, and may we all continue, ‘To do good to ourselves by doing good to others”.
Finally, my dear Brothers, Co-workers and Friends, all who endeavour to continue John’s work as best we can, today is your day too. Be happy, rejoice and celebrate, because when you accompany, care for, serve or support a brother or sister in need, you are doing something worthwhile, something very special. Enjoy YOUR DAY and remember what you do is recorded in the Book of Life and in the end my friend, this is what really matters!! Thank you.
Happy Feast Day and may God bless you.
Sincerely yours in Hospitality,
Brother Donatus Forkan OH.