They have also stated:
“It is acceptable to offer spiritual support as part of care”

(Perhaps they’ve been reading this blog?)

They add what I consider a sensible compromise in caveat:
“the initiative lies with the patient not with the nurse.”

Thus hopefully the ‘danger’ of causing offense or being seen to be evangelizing may be curbed. I do foresee one problem with this – what if the patient is too afraid to ask?

Sadly I’m not convinced that the Nurse will take anything positive from this sorry episode. Her response has been:
“It’s very difficult for me not to ask patients if they want me to pray for them when I feel that prayer works for the sick.”

As I noted in the post “shall I pray for you” is simply another idiomatic way of saying “I hope you get better soon” or “I wish the best for you” – which in theory is what the nurse should intent anyway.

But the problem seems to be with expressing it overtly.

I return to Eckhart then:
“What is the prayer of the detached heart? I answer that detachment and purity cannot pray. For if anyone prays he asks God that something may be given to him, or asks that God may take something away from him. But the detached heart does not ask for anything at all, nor has it anything at all that it would like to be rid of. Therefore it is free from all prayer.”

I fear that the nurse – though expressing an admirable benign good will towards her patients – may perhaps be too attached the idea that she herself can influence the Divine to assist the infirm. And once again I reaffirm that it is by providing good healthcare that she provides the most materially effective witness to her faith.