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Mercy, Mom to Mom
By Gina Aube
On Good Friday this year I was sitting in a waiting room at Boston Children’s Hospital while my twelve-year-old son was getting follow-up MRIs on both his knees. I felt grateful that his issues did not require surgery and relieved that my husband and I were no longer coming here regularly for our oldest daughter, who received more than a decade of treatment for a rare and aggressive strawberry hemangioma birthmark that covered nearly half of her face. My plan was use this quiet time to focus on the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena, which I was praying during Lent. My grandmother and mother had taught me the chaplet and it is my go-to prayer for the faith and peace it inspires. As I started to pray, my thoughts began to drift to the comfort I found in the waiting rooms of this hospital with my husband over the years praying and being thankful for the blessings of mercy God shared with us through the tremendous support of family, friends and medical staff. In these rooms, we met so many families who reached out to us sharing their stories and offering support. More often than not, we left praying for one another.
I had just finished the beginning prayers when a young family walked into the waiting room and sat across from me. Their adorable baby girl caught my eye and we started playing peek-a-boo. Her mother looked very nervous and worried. I began talking to her and shared some of my experiences about the wonderful care my family had received here. After the nurses came to take her child, we both just sat quietly and I got back to praying, this time saying the chaplet for her baby. She got up and sat next to me and asked me all about my daughter’s condition. She confided in me that her daughter had a port wine stain birthmark that covered her whole scalp and that they were here today to rule out the presence of Sturge Weber Syndrome. I connected with her instantly because we too had to rule out Sturge Weber Syndrome for my daughter, a very serious condition where the birthmark apparent on the skin grows into the brain and causes retardation. Over the course of the next half hour, I shared all of the ups and downs of my daughter’s condition and the many plastic surgeries and laser procedures that she had undergone. God’s mercy was so woven into everything I was sharing that I asked her if she believed in God and she shared that she was also Catholic. Over the years, God put everyone we needed on our path to help us stay faithful and patient, as well as offering us many opportunities to help others. Today, I knew He absolutely wanted me to share the mercy He had so compassionately given me as we talked about the blessings of prayer and He gave me all the right words to say to her.
I ended up showing her how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet using the mobile app on my phone, especially my favorite part, the closing prayer…”Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion - inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.”
As I thanked Jesus for His sacrifices and carrying His cross for us on Good Friday, I was especially grateful for the tremendous blessings of mercy and faith He gave me and the opportunity to share with another mom carrying her own cross.
Mercy in the Midst of Crisis
by Louisa Hogan
I have found a connection with the Rediscover Jesus book and I thought it would be nice to share my story. I was brought up in a household full of faith. My parents prayed, believed strongly in saints and read the Bible but we did not attend church every week. We went sometimes but not often. My father always believed praying can be done anywhere. With my own family I found myself practicing the same behavior. I have very strong faith, believe strongly in saints, and have taught my children the importance in believing in God but we don’t go to church often.
A friend of mine told me she was reading Rediscover Jesus which she was given at church. I was interested in hearing about it. Then about a week later an email came from St. Ann’s asking parishioners to come to Mass and get their copy of Rediscover Jesus. I felt a very strong desire to get the book. I told my children, we were going to church on Sunday. At church, I didn’t see the book displayed and couldn’t find it in the lobby. After Mass, my daughter was insisting we leave on time because her friend was waiting for us in the parking lot. I remember saying to her, “I am not leaving without my book.” I found a copy and planned to read it every day during Lent.
Three days later it was my son’s birthday. We had family over and the book was on my kitchen counter and sparked some questions. I told my family, this is what I am doing for Lent this year…reading the book. The next day we had a very unfortunate house fire. My husband was awake, woke us all up and got us out of the house safely. I try not to think about what could have happened if we were all sleeping. Even though only one room in the back of the house was destroyed, the entire house filled with smoke. The smoke covered everything and everything in the house smelled. We lost just about everything we owned. The next day we went through the house with the insurance adjuster to see if we could salvage anything. The fire was close to the kitchen so everything in the kitchen was black from soot and smelled horribly. On the kitchen counter was my Rediscover Jesus book in perfect condition. No soot, no smell. Just sitting there waiting for me to find it. I was stunned when I saw the book and even the insurance adjuster was surprised to see the book in perfect condition.
Weeks later, we moved into a rental house after living in a hotel for a month. After moving in, I couldn’t find the Rediscover Jesus book. It was starting to upset me. I could have gotten another copy but I wanted THAT copy. I looked for a few weeks, called the hotel to see if I left it there but it was nowhere to be found. One night, my husband lost his cell phone (which rarely happens, if ever). I called the phone to see if we could hear it ringing in the house. We heard it between the seat cushions of the couch. My husband reaches down to get the phone and pulls out the Rediscover Jesus book. We both could not believe it!
Seeing the book in the soot filled kitchen gave me such comfort at a very difficult time in my life. I felt like Jesus was telling me he was watching us and kept us safe during the fire. I also felt like it was a reminder for me to stay connected with him. I have been trying to follow the message in the book. Although doing so can be very difficult at times, I plan to continue to work at it. I have also been thinking much more about attending church more often. I have no excuses except I have to make it a priority.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy in Action: Comfort the Sorrowful; Pray for the Living and the Dead
by Paula DeSilva, parishioner, singer and local coordinator for the Haitian Health Foundation’s “Mothers and Babies Sewing Project.” quiltingyourway@comcast.net
My parents, Connie and Buck Ballantyne, met when they were 14 and 15 years old and married four years later, just before Dad shipped out during WWII. They were married for 73 years, and lived in the same house on Long Island for almost that long.
On Friday, June 3, 2016, my mom had a severe stroke which brought her to the hospital. Initially, she responded to "hold up two fingers" and "squeeze my hand." There were no such responses Saturday or Sunday. Monday night as I was leaving the hospital, I tried one more time to rouse Mom and she opened her eyes! For an hour and a half, she responded to my requests to communicate by squeezing, and tracking between my husband Hema and me numerous times. I quietly sang some of her favorite songs to her. She listened very intently. My dad had left for the evening. I phoned him and placed the cell phone next to her ear. Dad talked to her and sang to her.
Tuesday, Dad played his clarinet for Mom at the hospital; there was no response. Wednesday, June 8, while my dad, my youngest sister Barbara and I were holding her hands, Mom slipped away.
There were so many family and friends who kept us in their prayers during Mom’s last days. I believe the blessings of those prayers made what happened that Monday possible for me and Dad. That day was a gift I will always treasure.