Journal of Sacred Work

[Note: The following meditation is by Catherine Self, Senior Vice President of the Baptist Healing Trust]   

“And now here is my secret, a very simple
secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential
is invisible to the eye.”                         –from The Little
Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

   Many
of you have seen this intriguing and compelling quote in the Journal before.
The idea of seeing with the heart is at the core of radical loving care. Yet a
story is currently circulating around the world about eyes and hearts that were
completely blind to the desperate medical
needs of another (see http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19207050/from/ET/ ).
That it happened at the hands of medical professionals in unconscionable. How could
such blindness occur?…

  In Shakespearean terms, being blind means a
whole different thing than we normally think. Blindness is usually defined as
the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not
a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare’s most dominant theme in his play
King Lear is that of blindness. In this great tragedy, the character 
Gloucester cannot
distinguish the false love of one son from the true love of a second son. His
son of false love betrays Gloucester
and his enemies wound him, leaving him to wander the world a blind, broken man. Yet, as this man wanders, he begins to “see” the truth of
things, including the true love of his other son. Toward the end of the play,
King Lear wonders about this man saying to Gloucester “You have no eyes in your head,
yet you see how this world goes.” To this wonderment, Gloucester responds, “I see it feelingly.”
   There are experts among us who know how to see things
“feelingly,” and the best known among them make a living on stage and screen.
That Anthony Hopkins can so convincingly portray a sensitive, emerging,
spiritual man like C. S. Lewis and then just as convincingly seem to become a
madman like Hannibal Lector is evidence of one who can see things feelingly. To
become the character is to understand that character’s thoughts and feelings,
and then to look within for an emotional connection with the character. I’m
told that really good actors ask themselves “If I had the same background as
the character and now found myself in the same situation, how would I feel and
what would I want or need?”
   The radical loving caregivers among us live in that same
place, not trying to portray a character like an actor, but connecting deeply
within themselves to the thoughts and feelings of others. I imagine most of us
could not fathom standing by while someone so desperately needed medical
attention and not respond. It appears that the players in the tragic news story
were blinded by rules and regulations. I am so very grateful for the many of
you who, responding from your heart and Love as you do day every day, are able
to see “feelingly.”