I missed a Joe Catholic gathering I was supposed to lead a few weeks ago because I broke a tooth and I was intense pain. After jumping through all the insurance hoops, I was finally scheduled to see an oral surgeon to extract the tooth this morning. The above meme is how I expected things to go. I was very wrong.
Be Not Afraid
Yesterday afternoon, I was sorting out winter and summer clothes when I came across my black Xtreme Papa t-shirt that has the JP2 quotation "Be Not Afraid," which were the first words of his pontificate. I thought it was fortuitous in light of the fact that I was facing the dentist in the morning. Today, Stacey and I headed out to the oral surgeon's office and prayed Rosary on the way. I secretly asked St. Apollonia (patron of toothaches and dentists) for her intercession to guide the surgeon and to ease my anxiety. I was covering all my bases.
What Church Do You Attend?
After Dr. Walstad gave me the shots to numb my mouth near the tooth, he asked me what church I attended. I told him St. Catherine of Siena. He said he used to attend the parish at one time and still knew some of the members. He even mentioned some names of people I also knew. As he was pulling out my tooth he talked to me about his parish, St. Jude in Allen, Texas. We talked (I mostly listened and mumbled) about the Knights of Columbus, CRHP and the upcoming Dallas Diocese Capital Campaign. Before I knew it, the tooth was pulled and the wound prepped for my departure. We continued to talk about Catholicism for a few more minutes after the procedure.
God Was Looking Out for Me
As Stacey and I got in the car to head back home, I asked her, "What are the odds that I get a Catholic dentist who is open about talking about his faith?" I am sure that the t-shirt helped initiate the conversation. All I know is that God was looking out for me, because I didn't stress at all while I was having my tooth pulled. God is always present. We needn't be afraid.
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