Hospital and charity…
The Inn in the Gospel is an image of a hospital.. Pope Francis the Church is a field Hospital.. It was the Catholic Church that first gave us Hospitals. Jesus says ‘ A new commandment I give to unto you; Love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.’ ( John 13 34-35)

In Thomas Wood Book ‘How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization’ he writes ‘Even Voltaire, perhaps the most prolific anti-Catholic propagandist of the eighteenth century was awed by the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice that animated so many of the Church’s sons and daughters. ‘Perhaps there is none greater on earth’ he said ‘than the sacrifice of youth and beauty, often of high birth, made by the gentle sex on order to work in hospitals for the relief of human misery, the sight of which is so revolting to our delicacy. People separated from the Roman religion have imitated but imperfectly is generous a charity.’

Jesus felt mercy at the sight of sickness. Jesus felt moved by emotions at the sight of sickness. Jesus was no stoic. In Rome there were stoic who cared for the sick. But the stoics showed no emotions but Jesus was moved by compassion. So the followers of Jesus were also moved by compassion at the sight of the sick. and that part of the mission of Christ was taking care of the sick.