This Sunday’s first reading concerns the conversion of Saul to Paul, from being a persecutor of disciples to being a disciple. Saul has been befriended and healed by disciples in Damascus. He joins them in their fruitful ministry. Paul then feels the need to join with disciples in Jerusalem. But the Jerusalem disciples know Paul only as Saul, their persecutor, and “were all afraid of him.” They rejected Paul extending him no care and no fruitful ministry ensued. The Jerusalem disciples did not accept Paul as one of them. They were violating the witness so beautifully exemplified by the Damascus disciples. The Damascus disciples knew Saul was not a disciple and, in a way, was not one of them. Yet, they extended fruitful care to him.
It is a debilitating judgment – to deny care because someone is not one of us. It is a judgment persistently made in the U.S. in the matter of race. A denial of care based on race has been especially debilitating in medicine and threatens fruitful care. It is of poignant concern this month as we remember the life of Dr. Charles Drew who died in April 1950. Drew was an African American who was repeatedly rejected because of his race as he pursued providing fruitful care to others as a doctor. He persevered however and is responsible for saving millions of lives. Drew was a pioneer in researching and developing the preservation of blood plasma saving lives during World War II. After the war he continued saving lives by standardizing blood bank procedures for blood preservation and storage, standards still used by the Red Cross today. Unfortunately, the Red Cross, staffed by white self-titled Christians, believed Blacks were not one of them. They forbid Blacks from donating blood. After WWII the organization changed its donation policy but maintained a Jim Crow distribution policy segregating blood as ‘white’ and ‘black.’ This had two negative consequences on Drew’s medical care. He could not initially reap the fruit of the program he established and he could not have ready access to whole blood if it was ‘white.’ The second negative consequence is part of a controversy concerning Drew’s death. After being injured in a car accident and losing blood, Drew was taken to a ‘white’ only hospital with ‘white’ only blood. It is known that he received blood plasma at the hospital but not whole blood. The question still being asked is whether Drew’s care was based on his race. Many contend it was not and are offended by the persistent question. But a ‘white’ only hospital’s full care for Drew is questionable because a ‘white’ only medical profession’s full care for Blacks is questionable. White racial supremacy’s questionable care in medicine persists from the reality of slavery, from Thomas Malthus’ essays, from a Jim Crow Red Cross, and from Tuskegee experiments to current questionable maternity care (Erica Garner, Serena Williams), questionable racial disparities in treatment for medication – including pain medication, transplant considerations, symptom referrals – as well as lower quality of basic care and coverage by health insurance. Because the medical profession now consists of more minorities it is changing, albeit slowly. It is receiving fruitful care from African Americans and other minorities and extending fruitful care as well.
The disciples of Damascus knew Paul was not a disciple but they did know, on a deeper level, he was one of them. They knew the blood that flowed through them was the blood that flowed through all people. “I am the true vine.” “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” “Bear much fruit.”
Prayer: Spirit of Oneness, help us live fruitful lives as one human family
Question: From whom do I segregate myself and how does it diminish me?
April 29, 2018 Gospel John 15:1-8 Fifth Sunday of Easter