You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Mediterranean But...

You can't take the Mediterranean out of the boy.

Years ago, my father was in a coma for three months because of complications following aortic surgery. He literally "died three times and came back to life" as one nurse put it.  During that rough period, my mother and a close friend put their faith in God. Why not? The ICU doctors wanted to pull the plug saying even if he came out his quality of life would be negligible. So, be rational and do the right thing we were told. But we didn't listen. It was reason versus faith.

Long story short. One day a priest came in and offered his prayers. My mother and the same friend were present. About this friend. I'm not sure how to describe her without sounding like Doug Henning. She basically feels and sees auras and performs something in Italy called the "mal occhio" or the evil eye. This "procedure" is well known in the Mediterranean world. It's a superstition not restricted to Italy. The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks have their own older version of it. It's also practiced in the Latin world, India and Arab culture in different manifestations. It essentially removes malevolent spirits that cause bad luck or worse.

And she's damn good. It's weird for me to say, I know, but I can only offer what I've observed. When I was 14, I experienced vicious migraines that would render me incapacitated for a few days. Finally, my mother called this woman to see what she could do. She performed the evil eye, with the requisite prayers, and told my mother I'd be feeling better within 15 minutes. The rest was in God's hands. I was better in 15 minutes and never experienced a migraine to that degree again. I get migraines but nothing a 222 can't handle.

So there they stood praying before my father with a priest. He left and a few moments later my mother noticed a man dressed in white in the hall doing nothing in particular. Assuming he was a priest, she asked him for a prayer. He kindly obliged. He touched my father's forehead and left. Never to be seen again.

Within an hour my father awoke. My mother wanted to find the priest. But not one person knew what she was talking about and didn't see any priest dressed in white - and I'm talking Glad garbage guy white. In fact, there was only one priest on duty and that was the one who preceded the man in white. My mother was confused. Her friend sat silently. My mother wondered who the man was. Her friend answered, "that was his guardian angel."

This past few years, my father-in-law has been battling cancer and was recently admitted to the hospital. His morale fluctuates daily. Today, my mother asked her friend to perform the evil eye. Not to cure the cancer but to strengthen him by removing unnecessary negative vibes. Now, be aware, to remove evil spirits is a huge endeavor. The woman literally becomes exasperated for the rest of the day. But she did it and said he should feel "more at ease" within 30 minutes for the rest of the night. Turns out "envy" from others was pressing hard on his soul. Within that time frame he received encouraging news from the doctors. It did improve his night.

He too - a Canadian-born religious Catholic with a rational, technical mind of an engineer -  is familiar with the evil eye being of Lebanese heritage. What may seem as an odd ball superstition to those outside the Mediterranean realm, is a tool that complements faith and yes, even reason, when battling a vicious illness. When there's the unknown, people need hope.

I don't know how to rationalize any of this. My wife has committed herself and my daughter to going to Church again. I see nothing wrong with that. It's a place of good. I may even join them from time to time. I don't fall into the over-rational and secular age we live in. I can reserve a spot in my heart and mind for God and Christianity. As any person would for their own religion. When used as a force of good; for hope and faith, sometimes you can find reason in all the madness.