The Christian Response to Sickness in The African Context: With Reference to Mbagathi District Hospital
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Date
2004
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
I belong to the congregation of Camillians and our ministry is to serve the sick
wherever they are. We usually do our pastoral work in the hospitals.
Mbagathi District Hospital is situated along Mbagathi road, just near the city
mortuary in Nairobi (Refer to the Map on Page 78). Most of the sick people there are
suffering from highly infectious diseases e.g. tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Most of them
are suffering from AIDS. Most of the sick there are very sick. It is very hard to get the
relatives of the sick in this hospital visiting them. Some of them have been sick for quite
along time. Most of the patients here are from the Nairobi slums as the treatment is a bit
cheap and they can afford to pay from their meagre salaries.
It is human nature that most of the people don't like to see somebody who is
very sick. The hospital doesn't pay salaries which will motivate some Church ministers
to go and work there. So most of the work done in Mbagathi is voluntary and without
any pay. hence it is absolutely under the personal initiative and self-transcendent love of
any good willed church minister.
After being posted by my superior to exercise my pastoral ministry there. I have
thought how I can use this opportunity to evangelize the sick there and also to empower
more members of the community to work there as the patients are progressively
increasing. In this hospital we have various categories of patients: there are some who
are not evangelized, some who were evangelized but because of their sickness they have lost their hope and trust in God, some have lost their hope in life, some don't want even
to hear the Word of God as they blame God for their sickness.
My essay contains five chapters. Each chapter has an introduction, sub-topics
and conclusion. I will explore my experience with the sick in Mbagathi district hospital.
In the first chapter I will examine the uniqueness of each individual, the root causes of
sickness. How people experience sickness in blaming others. God, themselves and the
environment. The ministry of caring for the sick being one where one feels powerless
and helpless. Sickness as a form of suffering. Then I will give the results of some
intervieNAs which I carried among the sick people.
In the second chapter I will look at the socio-cultural analysis of sickness. In this
chapter I will look at the African understanding of sickness, traditional experience of
sickness and suffering, sickness as a whole human experience. African understanding of
health and disease and the teaching of the Catholic Church.
In my essay's third chapter, I will discuss the theological understanding of
sickness. In this chapter I will look at human sickness as a mystery. Jesus as a healer par
excellence, the biblical both Old and New Testaments' understanding of sickness.
In the fourth chapter, I will look at evangelization in the service of the sick. I
will examine the hospital chaplaincy as an important means of evangelization. Jesus as
our missionary model, accompanying the sick in terminal stages, the Church's mission.
the spiritual pain of the sick, the ministry of healing. The prophet-healing African Independent churches, the healing in the ministry of Jesus and the sacraments of
healing.
In the last chapter, I will discuss the empowerment of the members of the
community to offer their service to the sick. En this I will examine the missionary
animation, the vow of poverty as a gateway to love the sick and the training of priests.
I will terminate my essay with a general conclusion.
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Keywords
Christian Response, Sickness, African Context, Mbagathi District Hospital