Why Do We Start Every Meeting with a Reflection?
We begin each meeting with a reflection as a reminder that God is present in every individual we serve and serve with.
A Prayer for Our Work
The following paraphrased prayer by 16th-century Spanish saint Teresa of Ávila is a favorite of Patrick Gaughan, vice president, Center for Formation at CHI National. For him, it helps connect his ordinary daily work with a deeper meaning.
God has no body now, but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which God looks compassion into the world.
Yours are the feet with which God walks to do good.
Yours are the hands with which God blesses the world.
Prayer and Reflection Are Closely Related but Contain Key Differences.
There is more than meets the eye in the routine tasks of our work, whether it’s greeting, diagnosing or treating patients, providing ancillary care, or making financial or operational decisions. “Whatever our role, God is always present with and to us,” said Patrick. “Since the beginning of CHI, system leaders have made a deliberate effort to develop an organizational culture that is grounded in spirituality to help heighten awareness of how God works with us and through us as we perform the ordinary, everyday tasks of our health care ministry. One visible sign that lifts this reality in our culture is the use of prayer and reflection.”
Prayer is a form of communication with the Creator with both heart and mind, and it can include expressions of gratitude, requests for assistance, or sharing of thoughts or concerns. Reflecting is narrower—it involves focusing thought on a single subject, quote or passage of writing, learning from it, and connecting the lessons to your life.
If you’re in need of inspiration or ideas for reflections, look no further than CHI’s Sacred Stories. To find them in text, video and, now, podcast form, and to learn how to submit your own story, visit the National page of InsideCHI, click on “Spirituality” and select “Sacred Stories.”