Pastoral care

Detail is vital to pastoral care. And listening is an absolute priority. Ministers must learn to understand the people who come to them. Recognising their state of mind and exploring possible solutions is not magic. Listening does not mean remaining silent, but speaking from the heart.

People tend to be quick to judge. But this has never helped anyone. And it certainly does not make difficulties any easier. Those who listen closely can help. Here is some counsel on how to provide real spiritual care for those coping with an abortion.

An accident. Three young people were in a car. They were joking around and the driver was distracted. Suddenly he lost control, the car went off the road, and hit a tree. The passengers died at the scene.

Death is the scandal of life! Sometimes it strikes suddenly, sometimes it is anticipated, and at times even desired—and most of the time it couldn’t care less about the calendar. Those who are left behind suffer from the utter void that is created.

Depression is an illness no one would ever wish to have, but it is one that many people have to battle nevertheless. Pastoral care cannot cure it, but can indeed help alleviate it. But how?

The Latin term sub rosa—literally meaning “under the rose”—signifies that any content discussed remains under the seal of secrecy. Often these words are found carved into confessionals. They are intended to convey the idea of confidentiality.

Human beings can choose what to do and what not to do. We are not free to decide, however, whether we sin by our decision and thus incur a debt before God. Personal responsibility also means being willing to bear the consequences of our actions.

Always so many changes! There is hardly any other church that has developed so far in such a short time. For many, the reaction to this is: “I can’t even recognise my own Church any more!” And yet others are happy about the changes. How are we to deal with this?

“Belief in miracles is a sign of lacking humbleness,” saysChief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider. After all, man is not greater than God, and thus cannot prescribe to Him what He should do or when He should do it! A pretty clear statement, isn’t it?

What is there to discuss when a minister meets with believers for a pastoral care visit? That depends on the particular situation. It would certainly not be entirely absurd to think that they might talk about content from Holy Scripture. Or perhaps rather not?

Emmaus, a small town near Jerusalem, was the scene of an interesting exchange between the Risen Jesus Christ and His disciples. And that is precisely what a really good pastoral visit should look like.

“Bah, was that ever a boring evening!” The Priest had announced his visit and blabbed on and on about nothing more than personal preferences. The verdict on that visit was devastating. Real pastoral interest looks quite different.