A Leg to Stand On

Mrs. Merling was a wonderful mother. She loved her children and held them close to her heart.

One day her son, Raymond, was in a serious car accident, and his leg was badly injured.

They rushed him off to a hospital where the doctors tried to save his leg. But the bones were fractured so badly that the doctors made plans to cutoff Raymond's leg. He would be crippled for the rest of his life. And, in those days, finding a job with only one leg would be almost impossible.

Raymond's mother was a devout Christian who prayed to God to save Raymond's leg. But she also knew about Fr. Solanus. One of her uncles married Fr. Solanus' oldest sister. So, he was family.

But Fr. Solanus was very old and not able to see people as he had done in the past.

But that did not stop Mrs. Merling. The Sunday before Christmas she arrived at the Detroit Monastery door with her younger son, Richard.She begged one of the brothers to get a meeting with Fr. Solanus.

Fr. Solanus was so happy to see Raymond's mother and his younger brother, Richard. He remembered many wonderful stories about their two families from when he was younger.

Mrs. Merling and Fr. Solanus' mother were very good friends. She remembered how sad his mother was because she didn't get to see her son for EIGHT years when he first became a friar. You see, traveling long distances back then was very hard and expensive. So, Mrs. Merling was glad her son, Raymond, had not become a friar.

Mrs. Merling looked at Fr. Solanus and said, "Raymond’s leg is injured so badly they want to cut it off. And, I'mscared for him."

Fr. Solanus just said, "Oh, don’tworry, he’llbe all right. The doctors will not have to amputate his leg."

"What?" said Mrs. Merling, "How can that be possible?" Fr. Solanus saw how upset she was.So, he decided to get out his violin and play some songs for them.

But when Fr. Solanus began to play a tune called Mother Machree, she noticed that the other friars in the room got up and left with their hands covering their ears. You see, Fr. Solanus couldn't play the violin very well. But God didn't care, and little Richard Merling thought the music was "just fine." It was Fr. Solanus' love that was important.

When the family was ready to leave, Fr. Solanus asked Raymond's mother if he could bless her and Richard. She said, "Yes, ofcourse!"

So, with a special relic of the true cross and the 12 apostles, Fr. Solanus blessed Mrs. Merling. And when he blessed Richard he did something more. He slowly laid his hand on Richard's shoulder and looked into his eyes. Little Richard Merling looked back at the elderly priest and smiled.

At that moment Mrs. Merling's heart broke. She knew Richard would become a friar… and she was worried she would not see him for years and years.

And just as she expected, God called little Richard to become a Capuchin years later. But by then, traveling by car had improved so much Richard's mother saw her son often.

So what happened to Raymond's leg, you ask? Well,just like Fr. Solanus said, "There was nothing to worry about." Raymond's leg healed and the doctors did not need to cut it offafter all.

To this day, Raymond has that leg to stand on, and Richard stands strong in his vocation as a Capuchin Brother.

Blessed be God, in all His designs!

Discussion Questions for Children

  1. What happened to Raymond Merling's leg, and what did the doctors plan to do to "fix" it?
  2. Mrs. Merling prayed for Raymond's leg to be saved, but what else did she do?
  3. Since Fr. Solanus was old at this time and no longer the monastery doorkeeper, how did Mrs. Merling manage to see Fr. Solanus?
  4. What did Fr. Solanus tell Mrs. Merling about Raymond's leg?
  5. How do you suppose Mrs. Merling felt when she heard her son’s leg would be okay?
  6. What did Fr. Solanus do to cheer up Mrs. Merling and her younger son, Richard; and what did the other friars in the room do?
  7. What did Fr. Solanus do for little Richard before they left the monastery?
  8. What did Richard become later in life?
  9. What happened to Raymond's leg?

Advanced Questions

  1. Why was Mrs. Merling worried that little Richard would become a friar?
  2. What are the lyrics to "Mother Machree," and can you hum the tune?
  3. Describe the special relic Fr. Solanus used to bless Mrs. Merling and Richard.