SEM. BRYAN S.

VALENZUELA
Clinical Pastoral Education 2023
Adventist Medical Center Makati

MOVIE REFLECTION: The Doctor and Identity

Healing ministry is a ministry founded on and rooted in trust. Healing begins when we are
wholeheartedly ready to submit ourselves to God. Submitting to God’s plans means also knowing our
own identity. In a short video clip about living in a world where everybody wears masks due to a lack of
self-identity, a brave girl encounters the truth that sets her free. In my own reflection, the truth being
referred to here is that of God. It is only through Him that we can know our true and genuine identity.
Accepting this identity entails inconvenience on my part. Why? It is because others are not comfortable
talking about God or even their own identities. They are not ready to know God.

One of the greatest ailments we could have is pride. A person who is proud neglects to
recognize his weakness. He fails to see the aspect where he is vulnerable and needs help. It has been
one of my concerns for so many years until now. I do not want to seek the help of others because I
thought I could do it alone. Digging into this attitude, I found out that it is caused by my experience of
having no father for more than two decades. These were the times I instilled in my heart that I should
become an independent person because nobody would care.

In the movie, I became "Jack" of my life, wherein I always believed in myself. I could be the
superhero of my own life, doing everything no matter what. I was blinded by my little achievements. It
allowed me not to trust. At some point, I also became a "June" in my life. I tend to rush things because I
do not want to run out of things that make me miss important moments in life.

God is making a way to provide us with solutions to our problems. Sometimes, the solution is
hard for us to accept because it requires us to surrender an important part of our lives. Jack trusted the
process and took a risk by risking his voice. I could say that it was worth it because the relationship
between Jack and his wife was restored. That scenario reminds me of the time I entered the seminary –
there is a risk. Through giving my forgiveness to my father, our family relationship has become stronger.

Now, as a priest-in-process and a future minister of spiritual health, I myself should be ready to
receive healing from God. It is difficult to give what we do not have. It is difficult to tell a patient to trust
in the Lord when I myself am doubting. I needed to know the feeling of being wounded in order to
understand the wounds of others. In the process I will be undergoing in the CPE, I should trust and be
open in order to open the wounds that have failed to heal completely. The challenge for me is how to
become Jack’s wife, a person who could accompany others in their afflictions and most depressing
situations that made them pessimistic in life.

In life, we must recognize and trust in God’s providence. It is the best decision that will never fail
us or disappoint us. It is a call to become humble in life because it allows God’s power to work in our
lives. Participating in the service and mission of Christ means giving ourselves. It means denying The
most important aspect is that we are capable of enduring the inconveniences of embracing God even
when it is contradictory to our own beliefs and others’. It is not always easy to follow God, but it is
worth doing, and there is a sense of fulfillment because we are believing and living the truth brought by
Christ. There is an interconnection between identity and the doctors, and that is love.