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 SENIOR LIVING - What does it mean to be 'vulnerable' today?
- The Catholic Sun (March 2008)
by Guy Mikkelsen
At the Foundation for Senior Living we have been committed to helping seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers since 1974 when we were established as part of the Diocese of Phoenix and became a member of Catholic Charities USA. We are especially focused on helping the most “vulnerable” of our clients, those with the greatest needs and those in the most distress.
In so doing, we are following the social mission of the Church, as it has evolved through centuries of Catholic teachings on social justice. Central themes of these teachings include the sanctity of human life and the dignity of each human person. Because we are all created in the image of God, each of us is holy and deserves respect as individual creations of God the Father. We are called to live and grow in loving relationships within our family, our Church and our community. We have a special obligation to share our faith and support each other, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
The Church’s social mission is rooted in the Gospels and in Christ’s own parables and actions. As the Gospel writers recount Christ’s life, Jesus is constantly seen in community with others and engaging in simple daily acts such as fishing with His disciples, eating and drinking with friends and conversing with small groups. Jesus is seen participating in and blessing everyday life events. At the wedding in Cana, for instance, He turns wine to water to save the young couple and their family from embarrassment and to continue the wedding party’s celebration of holy marriage.
Helping those in need
Jesus’ greatest miracles, though, are performed for the poor and those most in distress. He cures beggars, the crippled and the blind. He relieves a grieving family by bringing Lazarus back to life. He cures lepers who were outcast from society. He tells the story of the Good Samaritan who helps the wounded traveler ignored by all others. So what can we learn from the Gospels about who deserves our help and what it means to be “vulnerable”?
Clearly the poor and the unrepresented deserve our special attention and priority. Low income brings many unwelcome burdens that accumulate and compound each other and are often visited on successive generations. Financial hardship can limit educational opportunities, make basic healthcare unavailable and place families and seniors on the edge of crisis. Everyday we help seniors with chronic illness who could not afford treatment or, in many cases, basic meals without our help. There can be no doubt that serving these individuals is a core part of our mission as Catholics.
On reflection, though, it soon becomes clear that vulnerability has no financial boundaries. Regardless of income level, we all share a common humanity and experience most of the same life struggles. Our seniors are a perfect illustration. As my father is fond of saying, “Old age doesn’t come alone. It brings with it many uninvited companions. And we just have to learn to deal with them as part of our neighborhood.”
Among these companions are chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and limited mobility, social and personal losses of spouse, friends and family, stress over lost or reduced physical capabilities, spiritual anxieties and frightening progressive illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. While financial resources may offer more choices in how to deal with each of these distresses, money cannot insulate anyone from these “companions”.
And so we need to expand our awareness of what it means to be vulnerable in order to make room for many who are not overtly in need, but are suffering nonetheless. Our sense of compassion must be broadened to recognize those elements of the human condition that we all share and were in fact recognized by Jesus Himself. In some cases, this means recognizing the vulnerability within our selves – whether as seniors in need or family caregivers struggling to support our loved ones.
Following Christ's lead
Whether we are driven to focus on seniors, adults with disabilities, families or children, let us consider a few practices role modeled by Jesus in the Gospels:
* Provide comfort to others in need at every opportunity, showing special generosity and sensitivity to those with less material resource.
* See ourselves in the eyes of others and recognize our common human frailties.
* Give up the false pride that alleges that we are above need.
* As a senior in need, a family caregiver or any other member of our Catholic community, share our need for help with others around us just as freely as we offer help and hope to all we can reach.
Guy Mikkelsen is President and CEO of the Foundation for Senior Living. For more information, visit www.fsl.org.
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