Caring

For two and a half centuries, the greatest empire on earth waged a civil war against an unarmed foe . . . and lost. Persecution was brutal, as Roman authorities routinely rounded up Christians and killed many of them. But then, in one of the great surprises of history, the Roman Empire became Christian. How did this happen?

Increasingly, scholars are suggesting that the church used its greatest weapon: love. Throughout the empire, Christians quietly became known as people who cared for others—often nursing the sick back to health. This proved especially important as various plagues ravaged parts of the empire. When others feared for their own health, the Christ followers could be counted on to sit with ailing folks, give them food and drink, and pray for them. Women led the way in this ministry of healing and care.

Of course, the caring ministry of women has extended far beyond the early centuries of the church. In the fifteenth century, Catherine of Genoa ran a hospital for poor victims of the plague. She is quoted as saying, “If you want to know how much a person loves God, see how much he loves his neighbor” (an echo of 1 John 4:20). In more modern times, medical pioneers like Elizabeth Blackwell and nurse Florence Nightingale were motivated by Christian compassion. Ida Scudder and Clara Swain are but a few of the hundreds of medical missionaries who have taken their talent for healing throughout the world.

Sometimes we Christians exalt the gifts of preaching and leadership and ignore the equally important gift of caring for people. Not only did Jesus himself carry on a substantial ministry to the sick, but he also said that when we help the needy, we are actually serving him (see Matthew 25:40). We certainly care about the spiritual needs of the people we meet, but we must not ignore their physical needs either. The Bible makes no distinction there. Love propels us to help people in any way that we can. So whether you are mopping the brow of a feverish child, driving a neighbor to dialysis, or praying with a friend over a cancer diagnosis, you are showing love to Christ . . . and sharing his love with others.

“Since I began to love,” wrote Catherine of Genoa, “love has never forsaken me. It has ever grown to its own fullness within my innermost heart.”

We love each other because he loved us first.

1 John 4:19