DLT eBook Club - How The Bible Can Help Us Understand.

Illness, Disability and Caring

By Bernadette Meaden

DAY FOUR

Hello, and welcome to the latest instalment of the DLT eBook Club, a virtual book study group from Darton, Longman and Todd designed to help us connect, interact, read and reflect together during this time of social distancing and self-isolation.

This week’s featured book is Illness, Caring and Disability by Bernadette Meaden, the latest release in our How the Bible Can Help Us Understand series. Bernadette has selected a short extract from her book for each day of this week, from Monday to Friday, and added some questions at the end to prompt further reflection and discussion.

Please feel free to post your thoughts in response to each day’s extract in the comments below, or where we have posted the link on Facebook (@dltbooks) and Twitter (@dlt_books).

It is not essential to have read the full book in order to take part in the DLT eBook Club, but we hope it might make you want to do so. Look out also for our new eBook site, www.dltebooks.com, from where you can buy this week’s featured book and many others, all at half price until further notice.

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How the Bible Can Help Us Understand: Illness Caring and Disability by Bernadette Meaden will be released in print in the summer, but you can download the eBook now from DLT, or from Amazon for Kindle.

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Day Four

But he was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ In answer Jesus said, ‘A man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him.  Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits’ hands?’ He replied, ‘The one who showed mercy towards him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’

Luke 10:29-37

Loving each other and caring for one another is such a fundamental principle of Christianity, and such an undisputed one, that it does not seem necessary to examine it here. As Christians, and as human beings, caring for each other is the foundation on which our lives are built. As the old Irish proverb says, ‘It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.’ But being ‘a carer’, helping another person facing physical or mental challenges to live their life on a daily basis, is a special and distinct role, which can be the dominant role in a person’s life for years, even decades. It is that role which we will be exploring here.

Just as few of us will avoid being ill or disabled at some time in our lives, so most of us will also take on, to a greater or lesser extent, the role of a carer. It may be the most demanding role many of us will ever undertake. It can be physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, as numerous practical tasks may be combined with the anguish of seeing a loved one go through physical or mental suffering which we cannot stop. Being a carer can also bring poverty and hardship. Cumulatively, it can have an enormous impact, and change how we think and feel about many things.

If asked to name a Bible story about caring for others, I imagine many people would say the Good Samaritan. Not walking by on the other side of the road, and being a good Samaritan are expressions which have become part of our language, used by many people who may not even be familiar with the Bible story. Let’s look at what actually happens.

What struck me about reading the story afresh was that the Samaritan gave emergency assistance to the man and got him to a place of safety, but beyond the first twenty-four hours, he didn’t actually physically do the caring work himself. What he did do, with kindness and generosity, was take responsibility for the man’s care. It seems to me that the story is about physically caring for a person in the first instance, but then it is about taking responsibility, in a way which involves a financial commitment and sharing of resources. It is physical caring and social responsibility, with both equally important.

Jesus tells us through this parable that really anyone in need is our neighbour. We don’t have to know them, live near them, or be related to them to have responsibility for them. While we may be more closely involved in caring for members of our own family, we also have a responsibility to the wider community. In our modern society, we can help fulfil this responsibility by ensuring that our NHS and social care system is properly funded, with good quality care available to all who need it.

During the coronavirus pandemic, how do you think people reliant on social care, and the people who provide it, have been treated? What problems have you seen, and how do you think they could be solved in the future? 

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE SERIES

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