Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is the formal training most chaplains receive in preparation for caring for people using the title Chaplain.  One of the basic premises of CPE is that the patients are our textbooks.  What this means is that as we interact with patients we learn from them in the same way you read a textbook to learn about history or some other topic.

This week one patient reminded me of just how much we in chaplaincy have to learn from those people we encounter.  Near the end of the visit I asked the patient if I could pray. (This is a typical question to ask.)  The patient gave the answer, “You can pray for me as long as you pray for all the other patients in the hospital as well”. (This response is not typical.)  It is rare when people in the hospital ask for prayers for the whole hospital or even all of the patients in the hospital.

Compassion and caring for others is often set aside when we are feeling poorly ourselves.  This patient who had some real discomfort did not forget about all the other patients and the need for healing that they were experiencing.  I was thrilled to offer such an inclusive prayer.  I was also humbled because I had moved into a “one patient at a time” mentality rather than thinking globally about all the patients as I prayed.  This encounter will stick with me for a long time.  I hope it offers you the opportunity to widen your prayer perspective.