Dear Friends,

Two years ago, I needed a minor procedure and found myself with six other adults in hospital gowns, waiting in wheelchairs outside the surgical area for over two hours. The attending doctor was called out on emergency, and instead of canceling our appointments, they kept us on hold, and then one by one we went through.

In preparation for the procedure, we had left our personal belongings, including our phones, in a locker. When I arrived at the waiting area, there were already three women there. The conversation started slowly with inquiries about what they were getting done. They noticed my accent and asked where I was from. A couple of others arrived, and one of the women started sharing more. Her daughter was accompanying her that day. Her husband had passed away a year before. She teared up speaking about him. Another woman shared about her difficulties finding work. The young man to my left explained how he got injured and talked about where he was at with his girlfriend and professional life. They were surprised to hear that I was a consecrated woman and interested in my mission in the house of formation.

As I was called into the operating room, one of the nurses jokingly noted that it was time to say goodbye before she wheeled me away. During the two hours of waiting, the nurses glanced over at our little group and showed surprise and a bit of amusement at what was happening between us.

When I got back home, I asked myself if that would have happened if our phones had not been taken away. I don’t think so. There was something importantly human about what had happened that day. I hoped to be a catalyst for something similar moving forward: a simple, humanizing presence.

I believe this intentionality in our daily encounters can be deeply evangelizing, and something that we can continue to contemplate in our Lord’s encounters with others in the Gospels, and to learn from him.

Yours in the heart of Christ,

Glory