Fostering hope

It is said that one of the last things that dies in our lives is hope. Hope is a virtue which gives us the desire to live forever. No matter what we encounter in our day-to-day living, that wish to keep going on is like a candle in the darkness of our inner helplessness and dissatisfaction.

Hospital chaplaincy is teaching me that, regardless of the illness they are suffering, both patients and their relatives strive to find hope. In fact, even terminally ill patients tend to die happier and calmer when they are accompanied by hope. Experience shows me that spirituality is the hope that is needed within the hospital setting; such hope is both eternal and never deceives (see Tit 1,2).

Since hope is a basic human and spiritual need, patients and their relatives have every right to be helped in it. Effective visits to the sick always try to seek and nurture hope of the people involved. Here are some tips on how we can be a blessing to this suffering population, especially through offering them our spiritual care.

Promoting a strong belief and trust in God as a sure hope in view of an uncertain future. I feel it is important that during our visit we gently ask, every now and then, these questions to the patient: (i) Do you accept God or a Higher Power?; (ii) What is your prevalent perception or belief concerning God or a Higher Power?; (iii) Are there any daily spiritual praxis (such as prayer, meditation or reflection) to which you resort?; (iv) What consequences has your behavioural health illness had on your religious or spiritual life?; and (v) In what ways does your religious or spiritual belief help you in recovering your behavioural health illness?

The relevance of prayer. There is much work that can be done in this area. One can make use of ritual, or just pray with the patient and the family. Studies in pastoral care have shown that personal prayer or holding a dialogue with God makes the whole difference in a patient's way of perceiving the situation. Therefore, it is wise to stimulate patients to relate to God in their own words. Equally important is to help them take the challenge to listen to what God has to say to them via diverse forms of relaxation, meditation, visualisation and guided imagery.

Writing letters to God. Every patient has so much to say to God that s/he do not know where to start from. Writing a letter in a prayer journal or diary is a useful way in which the patient can share with God the joys and sorrows and hopes for the future daily. It is beneficial for the patients if they are encouraged to write to God about people they love as well as about those who they feel they are loved and cared for.

Reading the "Holy Book". The "Holy Book" (such as the Bible) appears to play a decisive role in a patient's life. The suffering person may greatly profit from their "Holy Book" if we volunteer to read and discuss with them certain passages that eloquently address what they are going through. Perhaps it would be more helpful for them if they selected the texts themselves. We can assist them in their reflection on them by asking these questions: "What is God saying to you through this text?" and "How can you practise these words in your life?" Such questions may prompt the patients to seek valuable personal answers.

Using current subjects in prayer. Normally, the stories patients relate are full of feelings of praise for God, sorrow for committed faults, gratitude and petition for particular favours. A caring visitor is one who stimulates the patient to pray to God prayers that are in touch with what s/he is actually experiencing, like "heal me", "protecting my family", "thank you", "I love you" and "help me to change for the better". Expressing such thoughts and feelings within the ambience of prayer can bring about a profound experience of relief and hope.

Victor Hugo wrote that "the word which God has written on the brow of every human being is Hope". Since hope is deeply seated in the patient we visit, why don't we try to revive, restore, and strengthen it? Even if, at times, it seems unreasonable, yet it is surely indispensable for one's meaningful and productive suffering existence.