TWINS

Francis and Seelos were twins - a boy and a girl twin - which is very, very different  - than if your twin is the same sex as you.

They were mom and dad’s only kids and they were thrilled when they found out they are were pregnant and they were going to have twins.

They were born - October 5^th  - the feast of Blessed Francis Seelos - so the parents said, “We prayed to Blessed Francis Seelos to have a baby - and surprise we ended up having twins. So when we were thinking of names, we said, ‘Francis or Frank  will work for the boy - and why not Seelos for the girl?’ Seelos - now that’s an interesting name for a girl - but we’ll make it work.”

Grandparents were even more trilled - not with the names at first - but that they would be twins in the family. The last time that happened was 5 generations back - and those twins were two girls in Italy - Sicily - back in the late 1800’s.

At the baptism of the twins, Francis and Seelos, the Italian great grandmother on the mom’s side was asked to give a blessing right at the end of the baptism. They helped her up into the sanctuary - where the baptismal font was.

Everyone became very quiet.

The great grandmother - Mama Mama Maria - as everyone called her - paused and then said out loud, “It’s an old Sicilian Custom for the oldest family member living to give a blessing to the newest family member.”

“Today I want to give a blessing to our new twins: Francis and Cecilia….”

“Mama Mama Maria her name is Seelos!”

“Oh, okay continued Mama Mama Maria.”

She put her old wrinkled arthritic hand on Francis’s head and said, “Francis may you be a peacemaker all your life.”

Then she moved her hand onto Seelos’ little head. She saw how beautiful Seelos’ eyes were - so she said, “Seelos may see amazing things in your lifetime. May you have a great sense of amazement!”

It was an amazing moment. Mom and dad cried. Francis and Seelos’ grandparents on both sides were crying. And Mama Mama Maria gave each kid - each twin - a beautiful kiss on the top of their heads - with great gusto and sound. “Uuuuuummmm! Ahhhh!

All clapped.

Twenty five years later at the party after the baptism of Seelos first baby - with Francis as the godfather - the twin’s mom made a speech.

“Remember when Francis and Seelos were baptized …. Remember when Mama Mama Maria - Lord have mercy on her - wow do we miss her…. but she had a great life. Remember when she gave that wonderful blessing on our twins - that Francis be a peacemaker and Seelos have a sense of amazement at everything she saw.

“Wow did that come true.

“Seelos you have always seen what most of us miss. How other kids love to lick their ice cream cones - especially chocolate chocolate chip and butter almond cones. How people who get a new car - like to just sit there for a while before they start it up the first few times - just to smell the beauty of new car smell…. How Snuggles our dog - Lord have mercy on him - loved to go into the ocean when we went to the beach in the summer - and shake off the salt sea water on the rest of us back on the blanket…. How you love to stay outside before we go into the house at night and look for the stars or slivers of the moon…. How you love all types of mustards and every kind of tree - including mulberry trees. How you have become a pediatrician - a baby doctor because you love babies - and now you have one of your own….

“Mama Mama Maria - your grandmother - put a great blessing on you at your baptism. Seelos - maybe your name should have been See-lots.

“And Frank - Francis - Mama Mama Maria - called it right for you as well. We have always seen how you were a peacemaker - especially when kids were fighting in the playground. And when a kid was being bullied you stood up for that kid. Thank God you’re 6 foot 3, 235 pounds, that certainly helped. You have always been so good to old people - visiting Mama Mama Maria in the nursing home before she died and your other grandparents - so many times. And good thing you have a great sense of humor like Blessed Francis Seelos.”

At that, Seelos, the new mom, not of twins, asked her grandmother to come up to the front. “We forgot to ask you to give a blessing to our your new granddaughter - so keeping the old Sicilian tradition - could you give our baby - the newest member of the family - a special blessing from the oldest member of the family.

She paused.

She hesitated.

Then she said - putting her hand on the head of 6 week old baby, “Teresa, may you have a sweet life - with plenty of sweetness and smarts and everyday will be a surprise - in the same spirit as you amazing mom, Seelos.

OOO+OOO

[This was a story for our Kids with their parents Mass - at 8 AM - at Marian Hall, today, October 2, 2016. This coming Wednesday - October 5^th - is the feast of the Redemptorist Blessed Francis Seelos. With that in mind and St. Francis Assisi - which would have been Seelos’ day - dying October 4, 1872 in New Orleans of Yellow Fever, I made up this story. I like to see St. Francis of Assisi as an instrument of God’s peace and Blessed Francis Seelos  as a man of peace - a smile - a great sense of humor. I spotted the images of mustard seed, mulberry tree and the ocean in today’s gospel, Luke 17: 5-10 - for this 27 Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C]

[Picture on top - from the Internet - by Abby Bischoff]