By Fr. Bernard Steed mssc

I stood in front of a forest of waving hands and arms, saying a few words at the closing of a parish charismatic retreat. “How beautiful and expressive hands are,” I said to myself. “Isn’t it great God gave us hands? What if it had been fins!”

That thought was taking me along nicely until I caught sight of a youth in the front row waving his arms with as much energy as the rest. But something about his arms were different. He had no hands, I forget how I finished what I was saying.

He had neither hands nor feet, no hand at all on the right wrist, and only a partial palm on the left. This was Toto. Toto was brought up by a stepfather who regarded him as a cuckoo in the nest. Without a heath services or social security people like Toto have to rely entirely on the charity of others. Often their only recourse is to beg.

Toto manage to get through school. He was made of stern stuff and at some stage in his young life decided he wasn’t going to stay bottom of the pile. He started to help around the parish. In spite of his disability, Toto could manage hammer and chisel, and even screw driver. He took a course in drafting and mastered the subject. His next task was to find a placement in job-training. This proved impossible, through he tried hard. So he failed to obtain his diploma. He then developed a hacking cough, and T.B. was diagnosed. Fortunately it cleared up after treatment, but he still had no job.

While he was convalescing he made himself useful around the parish and it was then he got his first job offer. He was putting up parish notices when he was approached by a “businessman”. The businessman consisted of taking groups of blind and crippled people to major religious events where they could beg and tug at the heartstrings of the devotees. He offered to include Toto, and promised rich rewards. Toto refused, and lectured him on the shamefulness of profiting from others’ misfortune. So another ave-nue closed for Toto and, it has to be said, at least some of the time, beggars can be choosers. Still as they saying goes, when the Lord closes one door another will surely be opened. A college course offering teaching diplomas started in the area, and Toto signed up. He had no trouble with it, and so graduated.

Before any teaching post could be applied for the had to take the National Teacher’ Board Exam, and that was a few months away. Meanwhile he looked for a part-time job.

There was a vacancy in nearby parish high school. The parish priest put in a good word for him with the principal and so Toto presented himself at the school, only to be told that there was no vacancy after all. “I couldn’t let someone like that stand in front of the student,” the principal told the priest. So it looked as if another door had not only closed but slammed. Just then Toto announced his engagement to his longtime sweetheart, and they were married in due course. Bride and groom hung the rings on chains around each other’s necks.

Toto has now passed the Teachers Board exams and is going through the process of applications. If he has coped with handicap and prejudice and frustrations and still keeps his sense of humor and says his prayers, he must have a lot going for him. If nothing else, he is a challenge to our attitudes and faith.