This is my Gang

I was part of a gang when I was growing up: the Côté gang formed of seven brothers. This gang afforded support when it was needed, protection from other gangs in the neighbourhood, and a sense of belonging.

Being part of that gang sometimes involved putting yourself in danger’s way. When my brother Pierre was being attacked by two other boys one day, our big brother Jean-Guy intervened and paid for it with a dislocated shoulder. I also remember my first and only schoolyard fight when I was in grade three. One day, I saw the school bully – a teen who had failed in several grades and was still in elementary school despite his age – pushing my seven-year-old brother around. Without hesitation and without thinking about the possible consequences, I ran to them and placed myself as a shield between my brother and him. I was no David and my foe seemed to be much taller than Goliath and much more invincible. Out of sheer fear, I swung my tiny fist toward the face that stood high above me. I managed to reach the massive target and did land a “punch” that must have felt to him like a gentle pat on his chin. That is all it took for Goliath to feel justified in applying force to counterforce. I saw him grin with anticipation at what would happen next. He drew back his arm and propelled a giant fist in my direction. It landed with the force of a jackhammer just below my eye. To this day I marvel at the genius of comic book and cartoon creators in portraying such blows by drawing stars of multiple colours. That is exactly what I saw!

Today, I still am part of a “gang”. It is much larger than the one I had as a child. It has slowly grown over the years to include all kinds of people: my wife, my children, my grandchildren, work colleagues and friends, thousands of students I taught, and an assortment of people I knew for several years or even only for a few minutes. This gang also includes those people who were my “enemies”, yes, even Goliath. They are all with me now, even those who are long gone – thousands upon thousands of them. 

When I pray, I can feel them standing behind me, present even though I cannot always see them, and I say to God, “Lord, this is my gang. As I come to you, I don’t want to leave a single one of them behind. We are one, we are a family.”