In a blog from a few days ago, I told how I happened to learn about the Patron Saint of Jugglers, Father John Bosco.  Then, almost twenty years later, my father died.  It was January, 2000.  All five of his sons and our families were with him for several days in a respite home as he was dying.  This experience led me to reflect on my own life, and if I wanted to continue living the way I was living.  It was not a crisis of faith; I knew Jesus was real and He was part of my life.  But I wondered if my juggling was really a calling on my lfe, or my way of 'Christianizing' what I wanted to spend my life pursuing.

That March, we were back in Vermont emptying my dad's house.  When my brother, David, and I were cleaning out one room, he said, "What should we do with the piece of bone in that drawer?"  I had no idea what he meant.  He explained, "There's a little piece of bone in a plastic case.  It's been around the house for years.  I think it's a relic."

Sure enough, there was a small, plastic pendant with a relic inside.  The case bore the name "Johannes Bosco".  Neither one of us knew whose it was, so I found my oldest brother, John asked him about it.  My first question was, "It says 'Johannes'.  Is this John Bosco?"  He confirmed that it was the same guy.  Then my brother explained why he had a piece of Bosco.

Father John Bosco

He had gone to Catholic school, and one of his elementary teachers was a nun who also taught our mother.  Because of this connection with the family, she wanted to give this sacred relic to John.  It had been in our house ever since.  My brother was happy to let me have the pendant to keep.

Understand, being Protestant, I do not view relics in the same way Catholic believers do.  I don't think they have special, spiritual powers.  It is just a bone fragment. But, when I consider the chain of events:  A teacher just happens to have both my mother and brother.  Of all those considered saints in the Catholic church, she gives my brother a piece of John Bosco.  We kept this object around the house for 40 years.  A random meeting with a stranger led me to learn that Bosco was the patron saint of jugglers.  I learned about the relic at a time in my life when I was wondering if juggling was really a serious way to minister to others.  I find reassurance that I really do have a call from God to do what I continue to do to this day.