Why does SJCRH exist?

Sep 20

Menu Card, Fundraising Dinner for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Fundraising dinner for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, first of five narratives read between courses of the meal.

If the question is asked, “Why does St. Jude exist?” a complex answer can be put aside to simply say, “Jesus is the reason.”

The Christian History Institute has posted an article that highlights some tragic consequences of serious illness in the Roman world before Jesus. “In a world of gods not renowned for their compassion, Roman culture simply did not encourage a responsibility to assist …. Without family, you simply had no support system: no one to take care of you when you were sick, no one to help with food or rent when you couldn’t work, no one to bury you …. Destitute families … sometimes even abandoned the chronically ill to die. In Rome, sick or elderly slaves were routinely left to waste away …. Unwanted children were often left to die of exposure …. The Roman world possessed no religious basis for the divine dignity of human beings ….”[1]

The Christian community revolutionized morality, created systems of medical care, organized networks of deacons that looked after the ill and the dying, and developed rituals to accompany each person to the grave. This revolution was rooted in the teaching and practice of Jesus, in the deeply held belief that each person is valuable in God’s economy.

When someone asks, “Why does St. Jude exist?” this theological and moral foundation informs the answer. In some respects, children are cared for at St. Jude because Christians believe they are precious in the eyes of God, and to work toward their healing is the right thing to do.

NOTES

[1] https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/new-era-in-roman-healthcare