Clara Maass (1876-1901) came from a very poor, German immigrant family. Inspired by the great Florence Nightingale, she studied nursing. She volunteered and twice served as a nurse with the U.S. Army. It was while she was with the Army in Cuba that she became one of 19 volunteers who allowed themselves to be bitten by mosquitos believed to be carriers of yellow fever. The last time she was bitten she contracted the disease and died from it ten days later. 

While I was in seminary I worked at a postal service contract station. In 1976 the Clara Maass commemorative stamp was issued.

People would ask me, “Who is this?” I’d proudly explain, “She was a Lutheran nurse who died after participating in the experiments to discover if mosquitos transmitted yellow fever.” Someone replied, “She was stupid to do that.”

Are people stupid to risk their lives to help others? It’s not easy to answer. I don’t know what I would do if I had to make the choice of risking my life to save someone else. I do know that every situation I can think of requires some sacrifice in order to help others. How grateful I am of the sacrifices people made for me.

I read stories of great Christians like Clara Mas and Florence Nightingale and am amazed at their compassion for others. It inspires me to be a better person by considering the needs of others and doing what I can to help. I hope you find inspiration in them.

Read Hebrews 13:16 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne