How Can We Keep from Singing?

There is a word that describes a situation in which two seemingly unrelated or impossible events cooccur without a plausible cause or explanation. Our world calls this a coincidence. Indeed, in a world of disconnected, autonomous, and independently operating realities coincidence is an adequate description of such a remarkable phenomenon. However, the world in which we live is connected. Our being is not self-sufficient but dependent on others for survival and progress. We do not operate independently but with others, in others, for others, because of others. This reality begs the question, “How do we describe this remarkable phenomenon in a world that is unequivocally interconnected and interdependent?” I am compelled to accept that only an entity larger, more powerful, and more knowing than myself can produce such an occurrence. This occurrence reveals causation, possesses meaning, and portends purpose.

The stars scatter haphazardly across the night sky while the moon hides during its cyclical retreat from all earthly vantage points. The active sounds of the jungle let me know that, though darkness has descended, the earth does not sleep. We are walking some of the kids home from the youth retreat we are holding in Tacsha, one of the river communities a couple of hours away from Santa Clotilde. My feet find themselves traversing a rickety wooden bridge that connects one community to the next. With flashlight in hand I move cautiously, avoiding the unexpected gaps and unstable planks that threaten me with a plunge into the water-filled ravine below. My attention quickly shifts when the young girl walking next to me utters words that invite me into an invisible abyss deeper than any terrestrial ravine. “This is where I found my father when he hanged himself and tried to take his life,” she tells me. “Remember? You took care of him when he was in the hospital. You helped him recover.” As we approach her house I recognize her mother who runs out to greet me. The mutual surprised expression on our faces makes it known that neither of us expected this encounter. And the tears streaming down her face and the descent of my heart into my stomach communicate the mixed pain and joy of our shared experience. He continues to suffer from severe depression- their daily struggle apparent in their words and faces. As I walk back, the stifling silence of the night descends, drowning out the jungle’s lively song.

He walks into the clinic, his breathing loud and heavy with each stride. His voice is hoarse, frequently interrupted by a persistent cough- I wonder if he finds it more painful to breathe or to speak. Upon further questioning we learn he has suffered from these symptoms for almost a year. Though tuberculosis first comes to mind, a quick look into his mouth reveals a large ulceration on his palate which extends into the back of his throat and upward toward the back of his nose. Further testing confirms the diagnosis- leishmaniasis. This parasite, initially transmitted by a sand fly, first entered his nose and later invaded the back of his throat. Untreated, or with unsupervised treatment, this disease could cause obstruction of his airway and result in death. Given this concern we admit him to the hospital to begin the necessary anti-parasite treatment along with steroids to reduce the inflammatory response and hope he will recover without complications. This parasite, which holds his host’s voice captive, makes known its cruel advantage.

***

As I walk by the chapel that morning I hear a beautiful voice singing a familiar tune. The voice is so delightful I am compelled to stop in my tracks and peak through the small space between the chapel doors, careful not to interrupt or disturb the unrestrained melody reverberating from the chapel’s walls. To my surprise I see the same girl with whom I was walking the previous day singing at the top of her lungs a song of praise and thanksgiving to God. In an instant, the once-perceived bondage of despondent silence is replaced with the now-evident freedom of joyous praise and gratitude. Despite the darkness that surrounds her she clearly sees His truth, beauty, and goodness- “How can she keep from singing?”

Thirty days have passed. His treatment of daily intravenous infusions and weekly blood tests and heart monitoring is now complete. Daily physical exams corroborate the medication’s success in eliminating the parasite from his body. As the ulcerations of his nose and throat slowly shrink, his distorted palate takes form, his voice returns, and his breathing improves. Behind this man’s story of success, however, lies a dark and disappointing past. I recall the death of two patients previously diagnosed with his same condition who did not survive through treatment. I remember the frustrating delay and constant struggle with the government health system to make this necessary medication available as his condition worsened. The last time I hear his recovered voice as he walks out of the hospital, words of gratitude are spoken- “How can he keep from singing?”

In the end, coincidence is an inadequate, unfulfilling explanation for the extraordinary circumstances and co-occurrences we encounter in life. As I reflect on these two seemingly disconnected and isolated encounters this past month, I recognize the One direction in which they point me, the One reason to keep moving forward when all hope seems lost, the One being who unites all things in a common, meaningful purpose and toward a common, joyous end. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus this Advent season, we are reminded to open ourselves to the hope, peace, joy, and love that only He can provide. We are reminded to ask ourselves, “How can we keep from singing?”

“No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?”

~ Robert Lowry

Top and Middle Left: youth from my Catechism class preparing and receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation; Top Right: traveling in our ambulance boat to pick up a patient in respiratory distress; Middle Right: a unique symbiotic mammalian relationship found in the jungle. Bottom: fixing a poorly healed below-the-knee amputation site.