Mt 14:13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
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Our university hospitalAlmost all people who attend medical school have dissection classes, in which cadavers are sliced and the parts within it studied, memorized and related to the living human body as a way of learning its different structures. It does offer a snapshot of what the medical student is to expect of his education in his future years.
Admittedly, as I now remember my dissection year two years ago, I never imagined that dissection would offer me such a wide perspective of things, about life, about illness and about how it may affect the body and the soul. I may just be looking at things at a contemplative way, but it works for me. Especially since I hold dear Ignatian spirituality: finding God in all things.
I have not posted in this blog for quite a while, and I thought that this opportunity ought to serve as a way of not only catching up, but of helping me recall God's blessings for the past week.
I am now in third year medical school, a stage that we in my school call integrated clinical clerkship (ICC). In ICC year we are given the chance to interact with patients, and somehow try to study their diseases well enough to propose diagnostic and treatment modalities. We then present our patients to our clinical consultants, as a way of knowing what they have to say and as a way of letting them sign papers for patient management.
ICC year normally starts with a general review of systemic diseases and would later on move on to pharmacology (the science of drug effects and how the body uses them) and rotations within the different clinical departments of the university hospital.
Since we are the medical school of the national University of the Philippines, our patients tend to come from different parts of our island-nation and likewise tend to have very complex diseases entailing complex procedures and management of symptoms. We started rotations last week and my first rotation was in the Ophthalmology department, where patients with eye complaints go.
My first week as an integrated clinical clerk was both exciting and unnerving. Exciting because this opportunity opened me to a lot more chances at getting to know my calling as a physician. Unnerving because I had to deal with the fact that I have to study well enough to present my patients' case to clinical consultants right after examining them. Somehow I pray that after I finish ICC year and enter the immensely challenging clerkship year, I may be ready to face my duties with compassion for my patients, and with faith, strong enough that it can be spread to all people I may meet.
Saint Ignatius at his study.When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
We encounter very bad news all the time. How do we manage to pull ourselves together when the undesirable happens? I often choose to just listen to God, and just sit in the chapel, trying to pray and dwell in the Presence of God. But admittedly, doing this isn't always easy. Jesus knew how to handle crises like these, and in the Gospel, Jesus teaches us the value of soul-searching, the value of reflecting and meditating on how God's will manifested in our daily lives, no matter how disastrous or devastating some events may seem.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Bingo. He cured their sick. My medical student self seems to pat my shoulder: if you are trying to approach a religious vocation through the medical field, you seem to be on the right track! But I am praying that whenever internal struggles push my spirit to its limits, I may still be able to minister to people. Despite Jesus' desire for some quiet time, He still has to serve the people who need Him. How much are we ready to help other people at times that we think we need more help than these people do?
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
How do we manage the people coming to us for help? Do we help as much as we can? How much do we trust ourselves that we have enough faith or resources to help other people with?
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
We often wonder how we could offer the little that we have for the Lord. As we will later see, we would discover that God magnifies that little thing that we have, but we have to offer them to Him first.
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
I love this part. It anticipates the Sacrifice that Jesus was about to undergo for the sake of mankind: it gives us a preview of the powerful Eucharist He was about to institute. How much do we trust God to help us in our material needs?
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I was not able to post on the 31st of July, the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Since this blog is dedicated to the intercession of Saint Ignatius, I am posting here a poem I wrote about his armorial bearings. His shield is divided into two: the dexter side (seen from the viewer's left) shows seven red bands on a yellow background, while the sinister side (seen from the viewer's right) shows two wolves drinking from a pot..JPG)
Both images hold very dear to me: we are seven members in my family, and my surname is Lopez, which is Old Portuguese for "wolf". Loyola itself is a corruption of the Spanish "lobos y olla," the wolf and pot of his shield.
Ode to the Shield
I am Lopez, a wolf,Seeking respite in the midst of worldly confusion.
Lo, a pot descends, from within I see water my parched soul may partake!
I then see myself, chained, just as that pot which was chained from up Above,
But O, so wonderfully!
Because, in the beginning I may have seen
How seemingly my freedom to roam about was taken away
But when I saw where the chain led to
I can only dance in excitement
I can only sing with joy
I can only exult with such gladness
I can only praise Him ever more!
(Saturday, June 21, 2008, 12:08 am)
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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, from whom I derive much inspiration, pray for us.
AMDG.
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photo credits: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/449486895_540a5aadf9.jpg, http://www.creativejubilee.com/images/breads.jpg, http://lh4.ggpht.com/_z-2AcZpoNlQ/R5duTTfv3ZI/AAAAAAAAdrM/njR97lvvFew/Ignatius+of+Loyola.jpg, http://www.santuariodeloyola.org/imgx/images/fot_03.jpg, http://www.santuariodeloyola.org/imgx/images/fot_105.jpg, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhj9zIyuEQioWQVLtKJ-5XJEUKhejMuV9HX2PI8cVRO3iFxKuFrPLGx5eAcXluGuhJItKM6st6r7G9BWycKaE4UMCF88aCdinwflF-VfaCtlnSa8N09ptW5h4rBfuGm1-7Yj_nFLUrwwI/s1600-h/Loyola+Coat+of+Arms+%28House+of+Loyola%29.JPG
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