Reflective Pastoral care essay

The paper will use the examples of a homeless man who was evicted from his house and now living in the street, the second is a divorced woman due to infidelity and the last one an alcoholic woman who lost her career as a social worker, but now going through depression as a result. Homelessness It was a tough decision to make given the invitation from one of the homeless projects and the tight schedule that I had. In fact, the invitation came on a Friday, a day that most priests spend reading the bible in readiness of the Sunday mass. All the same, it was going to be a new experience so I gave the invitation a wait. The visit was to be to one of the most populous homeless projects in the neighborhood.

At the same time, there was a decline in the income levels especially for those who earned less. With the rising poverty, affordable housing shrank deeper and deeper. The government had reduced its budgets for government housing (Schwartz, 1-5). The private property owners had to abandon most of the non-profitable properties. This farther reduced the supply of affordable housing. One of the biggest activities of the institution is the hosting of the homeless. In summary, the faith-based providers have proved of great importance in the provision of services and shelter that help the homeless out of the severe circumstances; an initiative that has proved to be with much success. It dawned on me therefore that the homelessness menace causes a lot of pain on the victims and needs to be addressed.

As a result of the research that I conducted, I decided to find more about what the bible tells on homelessness. The first reading encountered was from the book of Mark. Arthur Schopenhauer also said that compassion is the real basis of voluntary justice (Roy, 2-4). The doctrine can be defined as the acknowledgment of another person's suffering and taking the necessary steps towards alleviating the suffering. The Bible tells us that human beings will neither hunger nor will they be thirsty nor will they lack where to shelter against the heat of the sun as He is passionate to them and will offer his guidance (Isaiah 49:10). Mahatma Gandhi stood for the rights of those who had been marginalized by the society in India.

Gandhi declined to undermine the unfortunate people in society. I was a little unsure whether I ought to respond positively to the call or decline the request. At some point I felt such individual do not need such kind of attention and that the time could be spared for visiting orphanages. All in all, I had to reflect on the issue to find the best option that I could settle for. As part of my reflection, I opted to find out more about divorce in the United Kingdom and how different stakeholders were responding to the situation (Riederer, 14-18). My first duty was to do a research about this particular group of women that had extended an invitation. Wallerstein believed that most cases of divorced impacted negatively on the children (Morrison, 64-71).

One of the effects of such was the children living arrangements. He farther asserted there was no way the children could ripe benefits from their parents' divorce. This school of thought was however criticized by others who said that the Wallerstein did not consider the conditions that existed before the family broke up and farther suggested that conflicts that may have existed before the divorce was important in determining the well-being of the children (Welper et al, 335-337). Divorce can enable the development of the children in a new environment and ensure that they are free from psychological torture. After the theoretical reflection, I made up my mind to continue with God's work of reaching out for the sinners. This was, however, going to go against the traditional practices of the church.

I made up my mind to go and give spiritual and moral support to the divorced women. In addition to that, I was more convinced that individuals such as the divorced woman needed the help of the church to live a better life. I, therefore, proposed that my church also needed to step up land establish a group that will empower the divorced women and offers solutions to the post-divorce problems that they go through. She explained that she had lost her job as a social worker due to alcoholism. She wanted me to help her to turn a new leaf. As the local priest, I was deeply touched by my experience with her. She gave me her address as a drove away.

I went thinking about this all the way decided that I wanted to know more about my church and the problem of alcoholism-related unemployment. The American Society of Addiction Medicine explained that addiction is the chronic disease of the brain reward memory motivation (Hall et al, 105-115). Most recent researchers reveal that about 40 million American aged 12 and above are addicted in one way or the other. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also explained the brain disease affects behavior. It is this change in behavior that may result into loss of jobs (Volkow, 363-365). One of the programs that have been put in place to help people with alcoholism is the Twelve Step Program that is initiated by the Alcoholics Anonymous.

Jeremiah 29: 11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. " One appropriate doctrine that can help explain this is the doctrine of salvation. This doctrine teaches about coming back to Jesus Christ. It calls upon the addicts to rethink their ways and have a plan of salvation. Garcia, Santiago De Ossorno, Javier Martin Babarro, and Mª de la Paz Toldos Romero. "Spiritus contra Spiritum: Including Spirituality in Addiction Treatments for Recovery, a Systematic Review. " Universal Journal of Psychology 5. Hall, Wayne, Adrian Carter, and Cynthia Forlini. "The brain disease model of addiction: is it supported by the evidence and has it delivered on its promises?" The Lancet Psychiatry 2.