Diaper Disciples

Short but true story.

Recently before leaving for the men’s rosary group meeting that I attend I had to pause to change a particularly foul offering from my daughter Sophia. This is the reason God invented clothespins. Not for hanging laundry, but for diapers of this malodorous manner…pinning our nostrils shut while engaging in battle with these toxic spills. So with mission accomplished I darted for the door to breathe the free air again and drive over to the church.

For those of you unfamiliar with the rosary, it is usually prayed in a session of five “decades”, with ten “Hail Mary’s” per decade. These five decades are commonly referred to as “mysteries.” There are the five Joyful Mysteries, the five Sorrowful Mysteries, five Glorious Mysteries, and five Luminous Mysteries. All of them based in Scripture and centered around the life of Jesus which we meditate upon in prayer. On this night we were going to be praying the five Sorrowful Mysteries. After a particularly intense general discussion on a variety of tragic subjects we began. I led the beginning of the rosary, the prayer intentions, and then began the first decade.

Now sometimes we will use bits of Scripture related to each mystery in order to help focus our prayer. And so in a strong, clear and somber tone I began the first decade for The Agony in the Garden:

“…His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. When He rose from prayer and returned to His disciples, He found them sleeping from grief.” (Luke 22:44-45)

As I prepared to begin with the Our Father followed by the Hail Marys I heard snickers. I looked up to see smiles and hands over mouths. What in the world was wrong with these guys? I’ve been praying with them for over eight years and yes we are familiar with each other, but come on. “These are the Sorrowful Mysteries for pity’s sake. A somber tone has been struck. What is the problem here?” were the words flashing in my head.

This is where, in perfect comedic timing, Larry came over, put his arm on my shoulder and asked me to read it again. I looked at him with a puzzled look. He said, “Read it again. But this time say disciples instead of diapers.”

And then I knew. I had broken the tense air unwittingly by saying that Jesus rose from prayer and had returned to his diapers.

Sophie had struck again. So we all laughed, and I began once more.