Day 224
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
pastorrobert@paxpres.org
Week Thirty-two Saturday 24 October 2020
Covid Will Not Win:
Meet the People Powering a Hospital in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, New York
Dr. James Gasperino,
Chairman of the Department of Medicine, Chief of Critical Care
“There are new challenges ahead and I’m preparing myself and my team for the next wave. Covid will not win. I go from bedside to boardroom. But I always value the front-line position role. I still go to every rapid response and cardiac arrest in the hospital. And during Covid I wanted to let people know that I’m right by their side every step of the way. We’re a team, and I’m going to lead you through this. It’s the oldest hospital in Brooklyn, a team of people that has a commitment to patient care and helping the community. And I’m really proud that when they hit the door we did a great job for them. I recall one night – it was one patient after another, after another. And they were so sick. I said to myself, if this keeps up, we’re going to be overwhelmed here. Because I hadn’t seen anything like this before. And then it hit me. My taste changed, and that was a sign I was coming down. I went to get up and I just collapsed. I thought I broke my jaw. There were a few dark moments there. A lot of people said, ‘O, you’ve changed a lot, you seem happier.’ I’m grateful that I’m alive, because a lot of people didn’t make it. And, you know, it could’ve been me.” *From a three-page article by the same name in a national newspaper.
What can we learn from Dr. James Gasperino? First, he has accessed the God given gift of being able to see ahead and engage in intentional preparation with his team. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard, …” Proverbs 6:6-8 is a reminder that God has created even the ant to do likewise.
Second, he has determined that “Covid will not win,” the title of this three-page newspaper feature. Resoluteness in the face of such an adversary reflects an element of faith in the absence of proof ahead of time, a quality and capacity God has placed within every human being.
Third, “I’m grateful that I’m alive,” after having Covid, a reminder that we all should express genuine gratitude to God each day for the gift of our lives without having had Covid.
Reflective questions: James, a brother of Jesus, an early church leader and martyr. As James laid his life down for his beliefs, will you pray for James Gasperino for strength as he lays his life down for his patients? Which of his three lessons for us speaks most to you? Why?
Reflective Scripture: Psalm 118:17 – “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.”
*The profiles quoted in this series were written by Victor Blue, Sheri Fink and
Catrin Einhorn and published in the New York Times Wednesday 30 September 2020.
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