Imagine having a hot iron stake driven through your lips in order to stop you from talking! This would only be removed every 3 days to allow you to eat.
That was the fate of Raymond Nonnatus for talking to anyone who would listen, but most especially his prison guards.
Nonnatus literally means ‘no birth’, because he was born by Caesarean-section, in 1204, when his
mother died during childbirth. As you might imagine, C- sections were not common at that time and earned him this strange epithet.
Born in Spain, Raymond was a Christian and joined the order of Mercy as a monk, to stand up for mercy and justice. When he was 20, he started going on rescue missions to “faraway lands “and over the course of the next 12 years managed to purchase the release of over 750 captives! Having used all the money saved to ransom the prisoners, he then offered himself instead and remained as a hostage in prison, for 8 months, dying on his release a year later as he travelled to Rome.
He was made a saint in 1657, and is the patron of expectant mothers, midwives, and the unfairly accused.
We don’t often travel to faraway lands, but we do work with more than 15 international partners, all working together to stand up for mercy and justice. Many of the places where we work are persecuted for their beliefs and many of our volunteers have been threatened and /or imprisoned. In fact, one of our team had to leave her country of birth for ever, such was the persecution she faced. And even today, many cannot speak out about their faith or their work, for fear of retribution from government officials and their community.
Living in the UK, our children are extremely fortunate to be able to access free medical and education services. Their counterparts abroad are not so lucky. But, even here in the minority world, our children are experiencing significant mental health crises. Some because of the strain of living in abusive families or not feeling able to tell anyone about their fears. Others just don’t feel up to scratch, continuously comparing themselves to other people, in real life and online, and trying to live up to impossible goals and aspirations that they believe they should have achieved. Many don’t have friends at all and use chatbots to talk to, In fact a recent study showed that 64% of 1000 children (and 2000 parents) said they used chatbots for help with homework, emotional advice and to talk to. 34% described their interactions as like talking with a friend.
Given that you are not under threat of being silenced, (by a hot stake or otherwise), please take the time to talk to young people. They are lonely, many do not feel safe and almost all of them have questions. Questions that you could probably answer if you took the time to listen.
Not sure what to say? Ask if they’ve ever heard of Raymond Nonnatus, if they know any expectant mothers or whether they’ve ever been unfairly accused of something.
And then listen.
You might learn something and will most certainly have helped someone else feel heard.