I Was Ill and You Cared for Me: Biblical Reflections on Serving the Physically and Mentally Impaired - Softcover

Craghan, John F.

9780814637678: I Was Ill and You Cared for Me: Biblical Reflections on Serving the Physically and Mentally Impaired

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814637671 ISBN 13: 9780814637678

Publisher: Liturgical Press, 2014

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In I Was Ill and You Cared for Me, John F. Craghan offers readers a variety of biblical reflections to help family members, friends, and health care workers deal with the diminished physical and mental conditions of those they love and serve. These reflections will help these relationships become more meaningful, enriching, and helpful for all involved. They will also serve as an engaging invitation to further biblical study.

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About the Author

John F. Craghan is professor emeritus of religious studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He is North American editor for Scripture in Church (Dominican Publications) and is the author of numerous books, including I Was Ill and You Cared for Me: Biblical Reflections on Serving the Physically and Mentally Impaired; Psalms for All Seasons; And the Life of the World to Come: Reflections on the Biblical Notion of Heaven; and The Gospels of the Weekday Lectionary, all published by Liturgical Press.

Review

John Craghan's biblical reflections fills a great lacuna because they engage the imaginations of care-givers who pursue a spirituality of service to those who are impaired in some way. Whether we try to imagine our characters from biblical stories or focus on the visual objects and aesthetics of their dwellings, Craghan hits a balanced note of beauty, praxis, and compassion with his choices of images and of ways we are privileged to serve. His images are clear, practical and theologically-based, and so he offers us much more than a script or guide to what to do . . . rather he advises us to imagine "how to be" with these our sisters and brothers.John Endres, SJ, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

Reflections for those who suffer are many. John Craghan's directs his thoughts toward those who serve the sufferer. His reflections may have originated in the heart, but he has grounded them in the power and inspiration of the biblical tradition. Relatively short and to the point, they are filled with the sensitivity and empathy that he exhorts. Whether or not one directly serves those who suffer, this book calls all to compassion for human weakness.Dianne Bergant, CSA, Professor of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union

I Was Ill and you Cared for Me is a poignant, prayerful, and eminently inspiring meditation on how select biblical passages can be a source of comfort and consolation not only for those who are physically and mentally impaired, but also for their family, friends, and caregivers. Craghan is refreshingly honest about the fear, pain, sorrow, and sense of abandonment that afflict persons who are sick and dying-as well as those who love them-but is also resoundingly hopeful because the God who comes to us in Jesus never abandons us, even in death. This book is a holy gift for anyone wrestling with the mystery of suffering and searching for reasons to hope.Paul J. Wadell, Professor of Religious Studies, St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin

This work is an excellent illustration of how the Scriptures shed light on our life and its challenges. John Craghan combines his lifelong study of the biblical tradition with his experience with people who have serious mental and physical handicaps, their families, and caregivers. The result is an insightful, touching, and prayerful encouragement to reach out in love to those who are ill.Leslie J. Hoppe, OFM, Professor of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union, Editor, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

This brief but lovely book is directed to caregivers who attend to those who suffer physical and mental impairment. It provides solid nourishment for those who take up this great and often demanding work of mercy.
Donald Senior, OP, The Bible Today

This book is especially recommended for the caregiver already engaged in a personal way with one who suffers physical or mental impairment. Rather than being a manual for caregiving, this helpful (non-sacramental) book provides a series of scriptural meditations intended to encourage and enhance the spirituality of caregiving.
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