Many jest saying they’d rather have a root canal than deal with whatever difficulty they are currently facing , but after having one, I have to admit it’s really quite awesome.

I was very lucky, my only symptom was a bubble in my gum that would come and go; I had no pain. My endodontist is a rather jolly fellow who enjoys his work and took the time to explain the procedure to me. As the procedure can be rather lengthy, there’s not much one can do but sit, meditate, and pray. So there I sat, in between Hail Marys, thinking about my eyetooth that was being drilled, drained and then plugged. A tooth is not that big, and to go inside to clean out an even smaller area than the tooth itself is amazing! Being such detailed work, it’s a wonder that a human can do  it. All the branches of medicine have progressed, and continue to do so. Is that what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God?

I started to think about some of the details that God created: a minuscule atom, a drop of water, a baby’s breath flower, a cat’s fur, and a human being.  There is such variety in his creation  from a field full of kaleidoscope-colored flowers to men and women with so many different skills and interests. Dentistry is not something that interests me, but clearly my doctor loves his job. It takes people with an interest to study, understand and make progress in their field of work, not just in the medical profession, but in every field including business and agriculture. It’s amazing that there are people interested in focusing in just a small part of their field to really know it and progress its understanding. Yes, God has created us all, but he made us unique so we can cooperate with Him as creation continues.

While my initial intention was to offer up any suffering and discomfort during the procedure to God for the holy souls in Purgatory, I was quite surprised that I had such a spiritual journey during the root canal. I’m very thankful that I didn’t lose the tooth and that the recovery has been relatively benign. God has truly blessed us. I only hope I can do my part to further His creative work to make things even better for the future. How? I don’t know, but if I try to do His will, I’m sure He will use me in some way for the good of others both now and for the future.