I wanted to let you know that I whispered a prayer or two for you today. You crossed my mind so many times and I asked the angels to be near you. I whispered a prayer for God to stand by your side — loving, protecting and guiding you. Know that you’re in my heart and that I whispered a prayer or two for you.
— Ellen M. DuBois
As I share these thoughts with you I’m sure you will read them before you will see me. I wish to sincerely thank each and every one of you for the countless measures of love that you extended to me during my recent surgery at Sewickley Valley Hospital and time of need. Your love was manifested in so many ways, through the gift of flowers, cards, well wishes and prayers and goodies. I realized that many people traveled some distances to the hospital but were unable to see me in my room, as the doctor had me off limits for visitation. However, the nurses gave me the names of all the people who came; I am very grateful to all. I especially thank the people who wrote their name and greetings on a card at last weekend’s Masses to extend their measure of love.
My surgery took one hour and forty minutes and was performed by Dr. Michael Felix. A benign growth was removed in my large intestine. (Thank God.) The doctor said that the surgery was the easiest one he had in two weeks, going without a glitch, and he was well pleased. Unfortunately, however, for over three days, I experienced a high temperature of 103.5, and the doctor was quite concerned about the etiology or cause of this fever. So on Friday, May 4, under the direction of the infectious control doctor, Bruce Chamovit, MD, I underwent a battery of more tests -- CAT scan, chest x-ray, Doppler for blood clots in the legs, tests for C Diff -- to get to the root of the extraordinarily high temperature. All the tests came out negative.
After that stormy Friday of going from room to room to room for endless tests in a state of increasing weakness, a knock came to my door. A nurse said, “There is a very special visitor who would love to see you if you are up to it.” Since I had good results from those tests, I was starting to feel more confident and hopeful. Who could be here? Lo and behold, the nurse said it was the bishop. The bishop entered my room with leg extended in a wheel chair. He said, “I heard there was a priest from the Diocese of Pittsburgh on the fifth floor and I had to see you before I left. Although I am not your bishop, I am a bishop. My name is Bishop Lawrence Brandt,” bishop of our neighboring Diocese of Greensburg.
We had a lively and joyful exchange of about an hour. I told him that I should have been at the Great Hall at the Seminary that night with Archabbot Douglas Nowicki OSB, and Fr. Timothy S. Whalen, and that I guessed God had other plans so that I could meet him instead. I was so very grateful for his pastoral visit, kindness and sensitivity. Bishop Brandt told me that he studied in Rome and was the bishop of Greensburg for eight years and was 73 years old. He was originally a priest from the Diocese of Erie. He came into my room with his leg extended because he had just undergone a knee replacement by Dr. Thomas. He said his recuperation time would be 6-7 weeks. During our visit, we covered a gamut of topics from the main figure-head of the American Church, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, to the number of vocations in our respective dioceses, to New Evangelization efforts and initiatives, to the challenges and promises that we hope for in serving God’s people more zealously, joyfully and faithfully. It didn’t take long in the conversation to find out that Bishop Brandt was a seasoned traveler and that he had been on the committee of the US Conference of Bishops for religious liberty with Bishop Zubik. I told him that we share the common ground of not only faith, but of having surgery on the same day, May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
Bishop Brandt spoke of his 104-year-old mother who lived with him for 25 years and who was now living in St. Anne’s Home in Greensburg. He said her favorite show is Dancing with the Stars. Then we went on to the topic of the great gift and the most powerful influence in the world — a mother’s love.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, we honor our mothers and the special place they hold in our lives, whether our natural or adopted mothers, or another who assumes that role. As we receive love from the school of our mothers, we give love to others. There is no greater earthly example of God’s unconditional, sacrificing, nurturing and life-giving love than that of a faithful mother. Our God, like our mothers, loved us first before we could respond. Our moms know us intimately and have loved us unconditionally through childbirth pains, through infant helplessness and through the challenges and struggles that emerge from childhood, through adolescence and in to adulthood. Like the Lord, our mom is always the one we can count on to provide the constancy of God’s love, supports, counsel, faith and a listening ear. We thank God for our mothers, whose lives are the sign and reflection of God’s incredible love. Good mothers not only tell us how to live but to show us the way.
The most important preparation for my hospital stay, beyond the host of tests and pre-ops and all he duties for the parish, was to take a lengthy amount of time to get that fitting card and send it off to my mother. (It is estimated that 133,000,000 cards are sent on this most beloved holiday.)
St. Theresa of Avilla, a great mystic of the Carmelite order and profound spiritual teacher (1515-1582), writes about her mother dying when she was 12 years old. She said, “When I began to understand what I had lost, I went, afflicted, before an image of Our Lady and besought her with my many tears to be my Mother.” As our conversation come to a close, I knelt down and asked for Bishop Brandt’s blessing. I remember him praying that the Blessed Mother, our patron St. Joseph, and my patron St. Richard would heal, strengthen and protect me with God’s love. A constant question of the doctors and nurses was, “What is your level of pain now? 0 — no pain, 3 — mild pain, 7 — moderate pain, 10 — severe pain.” I am happy to say the numbers are going in the right direction. A loving family, a loving circle of friends, a loving faith community are signs of Christ’s victorious presence.
