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October 19, 2021By Kathleen Teodoro
Time for Discipleship
Bishop Hying’s story
At our parish retreat last month, Bishop Hying shared a story from his days as a seminarian. While serving in a hospital, he was sent to comfort a dying man, but on entering the room, he was pelted with bitterness and told to get out.
Bishop Hying felt defeated, but what would his superiors think if he gave up so easily! So he asked the man if he could just sit at the door and say a few prayers. The dying man grunted his assent, and the seminarian sat quietly and prayed – that day and every subsequent day for weeks. Eventually, the man’s demeanor softened, and they exchanged a few words. One day those few words blossomed into heartfelt conversation, and Bishop Hying was able to convince the man to receive the sacrament of reconciliation with a priest.
Dormitories & Dementia
The bishop’s story struck a chord with me, for I was recently shown how spending time with someone can unlock a door to healing. My son, Antonio, spent freshman year in NYC during a pandemic. After entering his dorm room, the doors closed behind, and there he stayed. The first two weeks were the worst: no cafeteria, no care packages, no get-to-know-you events. He was totally isolated.
Meanwhile… my parents were quarantined in Michigan and struggling to cope with my mom’s dementia. I told them about Antonio’s situation, so they pledged to call him every day. They weren’t particularly close before that, so the first few calls were awkward. At some point, Antonio mentioned that he was learning to play guitar, so they asked him to play and sing for them. And he did! They started requesting songs: old songs, folk songs, songs in Spanish. It was great! He had reason to practice, and my folks had a sense of purpose.
The evening concerts continued, and that time spent together proved providential. My mom fell on the ice in December and broke her pelvis. The pandemic was raging, and the hospitals overburdened, so nobody was allowed to accompany her to the emergency room. My dad wasn’t allowed to see her for a week, and by then the dementia had progressed profoundly. My mom was terrified and confused. We struggled to comfort her and were grateful to find one thing that worked: a serenade from Antonio! Because they had already established a connection, my mom was able to relax and to receive his gift of song when she wasn’t able to trust many others.
Go Make Time – for Disciples!
These stories seem particularly important to me as I begin my work supporting our middle and high school students here at St. Bernard. We need time together. Adults, we need you to spend time with our students. Give them reason to trust in God’s love. Make it easy for them to receive the good news of Jesus Christ. Please consider volunteering as a small group leader for middle or high school. The commitment is one Wednesday evening per month for the next 6 months.
And teens: we need you to say yes. We need you to participate. Imagine the ways young people might contribute to healing our culture and revitalizing the Church.
Yes, it can be scary. For everyone. Yes, you will sometimes feel awkward. I often wear a pendant engraved with these words from St. Joan: “I am not afraid. For God is with me, and I was born to do this.” And through baptism, we are all born to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
Contact me: kathleen@stbmidd.org
