What are some ways you can imitate Jesus when you are on the playground or on a sports team?
Now I know some of you are wondering why I am responding to a question of the week that was obviously written for the consideration of children. But children, and the ways they surprise and witness to us in beautiful ways, are at the heart of my thoughts this week.
Several years ago, I directed a school choir at an inner-city parish. The choir was made up of fourth through eighth graders who met with me during their Thursday lunch hour. One of the members was an eighth-grade boy whom I will call Joshua. Joshua lived with his grandmother, who did her best to provide for him. But, being the smallest boy in his class, Joshua was often teased and tormented by the other students. And one of the things he was teased about had to do with singing in the choir. That was something that eighth-grade boys just didn’t do!
One Thursday, the most popular and athletic eighth-grade boy in the school came to choir. I tried not to look shocked, but I was most surprised that Jonathan joined us. After all, according to his classmates, boys singing in the choir just wasn’t cool. After choir, I thanked Jonathan for joining us, and I asked him what inspired him to come to choir. He simply said, “I didn’t think Joshua should be alone.”
Today is a good day to think about and pray for all who are serving us so that we have what we need, stay safe, maintain health, and do not walk through this challenging time of the coronavirus pandemic alone. It is a good day to offer encouragement by sharing in the 7:00 p.m. round of applause for healthcare workers, by saying thank you to the stockers and clerks at our grocery stores and pharmacies, by giving a friendly wave and a thank you to our postal carriers and delivery persons, and even by participating in take-out Tuesday efforts to encourage our local restaurateurs.
How can we imitate Jesus, even on the most trying of days? We can follow Jonathan’s example and look for the Joshuas in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and social circles. We can find our ways to stand beside them so that they too are never alone.
Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years’ experience as a Catholic educator and lay minister. She is a frequent workshop presenter on the topics of prayer, liturgy, spirituality, the Sacraments, and the RCIA. In addition, Mary leads retreats and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their Catholic faith.