What does it mean to love?
Dec. 30, 2025 Evan Nordus
Atchison, Kansas
One evening as I was praying after a daily Mass, my attention was drawn to a young man nearby who seemed to be having a minor seizure. He began to drool incessantly and excessively and also seemed to have limited control over his body, though he was still able to stand and walk. As I watched this begin I saw two of his friends, one who had already left the pew and the other who was following him, rush to his side and gently, though drivingly, escort him out of the church. In witnessing that I was struck by the beauty of our humanity, the friendships we have within it, and the different ways it draws humility out of us. What I was most struck by, though, is what followed. After taking care of the young man, one of the friends returned to the pew and began wiping up all the drool that had spilled out from the young man’s mouth. Having asked myself the question “What does it mean to love?” only moments before in prayer, I knew that in this moment God was answering that question through the actions of this friend. In the stooping of this shoulders and the drooping of his head as he cleaned, love burst forth and beauty bounded, though the act was so small.
