Dear Friend,  

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Reflection by Dianne Traflet, J.D., S.T.D.

I remember my 5-year-old self, eagerly waiting to tell my parents something fascinating about kindergarten class.  When my father came home from work, I announced, “Mrs. Kneefield has eyes in back of her head!”  That’s when I quickly learned a lesson for life:  my parents had very little toleration for gullibility.   My father wanted evidence. “Dianne, Mrs. Kneefield does not have eyes in the back of her head. Why would you say that?”  Completely taken aback, I said the obvious, “Mrs. Kneefield told us.”  And I thought to myself: “Mrs. Kneefield wouldn’t lie.”  My father asked again for evidence.  “Dianne, did you actually see eyes in back of your teacher’s head?”   I tried to explain that Mrs. Kneefield had big hair, but my father was shaking his head.  “Dianne, she used a figure of speech.”   He explained that when Mrs. Kneefield turned her head to write on the blackboard and wasn’t looking towards the class, she could sense when the students were misbehaving.

I recalled this kindergarten scene during Mass on Sunday. In the very back of the church where I was sitting (behind the pews and near the wall), there was an elderly woman in a wheelchair.  Now and then, she would say something aloud, or moan a bit in discomfort.  At one moment, I caught a glimpse of her caregiver, apparently her daughter (though I don’t have evidence), sitting behind the wheelchair. It was an edifying sight.  The daughter, radiating love, was smiling down at her mom.  I wished the mother could have caught that loving gaze.  But I think she did!  I believe she sensed the smile and knew for sure her daughter’s love. 

Perhaps we’re having a challenging time this Lent seeing the face of Christ. Perhaps it’s time to cultivate our spiritual eyes that stir us to consider Christ behind us, encouraging us and gently prodding us a with a smile of support.  Let us prayerfully ponder the prayer attributed to St. Patrick:

“Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.”

Amen.

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Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D., Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Administration and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, earned a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, an M.A. in Catholic Theology and Pastoral Ministry from The Institute of Advanced Studies of Catholic Doctrine, St. John's University, and an S.T.L. and an S.T.D. from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (The Angelicum), Rome. Dr. Traflet is a key leader in the Center for Diaconal Formation, and she gives numerous lectures, retreats, and days of recollection, including some specific to wives of deacons and deacon candidates. She is the author of Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait (Pauline Media, 2008).