Mercy comes in all sizes, and in that special year- such a grace reached “The Grinch” with heart rendering tenderness.
The story of Dr Seuess’ ‘The Grinch’ has stolen peoples’ hearts for over 6 decades. The Grinch’s spirit, imbued deep within this green creature, as it is in all of God’s beings, needed others’ love to bring this spirit to its fullness.
The ole’ Grinch was simply spiritually malnourished. He just needed some good medicine, mainly consisting of doses of love and mercy. A dual health approach which could only be provided by the Great Clinician, with the unsolicited help of some nearby loving souls.
A combination of God’s and others’ love, with sound medicine, indeed prompted a trailblazing effort to rehab the psycho-social qualities of this sad yet curious patient, born with the misfortune of reportedly having a heart ‘two times too small’. In times like ours, many are sadly afflicted with the similar ailments exhibited by this curmudgeon like patient.
The ‘Grinch’, descended from the genus ‘Grinches Miserius’, presented to the clinic with complaints of general malaise, misery, lack of joy, streaks of pathological nastiness and a severe lack of love. He was also noted to have a propensity to steal things, namely, Christmas, from the hearts of all good people and children in Whoville.
Upon a complete medical work-up, ECG and consultation with Cardiology, it was soon discovered that the patient was suffering from advanced dual Microcardia (born with a heart two times too small). At first the condition was deemed to have been congenital and exacerbated by Whoville’s high altitude Alpine climate, but further examinations indicated otherwise. It seems that the patient’s condition was caused by ‘an adult onset of pessimism and ‘hardening of the soul’.
The Treatment Plan: A cadre of caring physicians, psychologists and good neighbors designed a treatment plan exclusively for the patient, one which would integrate both medical as well as spiritual rehabilitative modalities.
The prescribed regimen included monitored living with townfolk in God’s country, combined with frequent social interaction with people, particularly while accompanied by a chosen friend, a noted four-year old child by the name of Cindy Lou Hoo.
Long Term Study: After 3 years (36 months) of medical therapy, and psychotherapy which included intensive social immersion with town folk of Whoville, and numerous exercises in love and tolerance, the patient made a miraculous recovery. After months of living in Whoville, follow-up examinations indicated tremendous results! The Grinch’s heart appeared to have grown not only to normal size and limits with sufficient atrial and ventricular output, but had indeed grown a bit larger than normal, with greater capacity to love, yet posed no threat to his overall health.
The comprehensive Treatment Plan, along with the aforementioned grace of God, was deemed an astounding success. The Grinch continued to bask in God’s mercies of love, and to grow healthy in body, mind and soul-with a bigger heart that overwhelmed everyone he met and touched. The only thing he would ever again steal- was other people’s hearts.
The bottom line being, as noted by the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz, ” that a person is not judged only as much as by how much he loves..but by how much he is loved by others…”
(‘The Grinch’, copyrighted in 1961 by Dr Seuss).
* You can enjoy more stories by MichaelAngelo Massa JD and his column “Sacred Insights 2.0” @Patheos.com
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