This week, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out that the Law requires people to do the minimum. Jesus explains the importance of going beyond what is required, and to respond to others with love.

The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history. It is a list of rules still held sacred by physicians today, as they promise “to do no harm.”  For the past 15 years, CMMB medical volunteers, Dr. Al and Kathleen Hartmann have dedicated much of their lives to bringing hope and dignity to the people of Swaziland through home-based healthcare. Together with a team from the Good Shepherd Mission Hospital, they administer medications, treatments, and human kindness to the sick and the dying. Although they often cannot often heal the sick, they are dedicated to restoring their dignity.

The Hartmanns met Bheki in the final days of his life.  He was suffering from severe cancerous wounds caused by end-stage AIDS. Filthy, emaciated and covered with sores, the Hartmanns bathed him, treated his wounds, fed him and provided a fresh, clean bed to make Bheki more comfortable.

The Hartmanns told us, “Before we left, Bheki and his father sang a hymn and prayed with us. Bheki’s voice was barely audible but his peaceful face, his closed eyes and his lips moving as he prayed, was enough for us to know that he was comfortable and felt loved.  When Bheki died, we knew that he passed away with dignity and the knowledge that people cared for him. That he mattered. That he would be remembered.”

In all things, Jesus challenges us to go beyond the minimum. The Hartmanns remind us that even when there is nothing left to be done, there is always something that can be done; there is always love.

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*Today’s reflection is adapted from and inspired by the Loyola Press Sunday Connection.

 

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