Orthotics, by Richard Fitzgerald
The Mepkin Abbey Community is delighted to share with all of you, from time to time, the reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict. These are written by Benedictine Oblate of St. Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe PA., retired Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, the former physician of our Mepkin Community. Dr. Fitzgerald is a very dear friend and volunteered his services to us for many years. We offer his writings in the hope that you also will find inspiration in them.
Fr. Joe Tedesco
Superior
One of the brothers told me his foot was more comfortable now that he had replaced a torn sole on his shoe. His “new sole’ had been too long coming, and the simple fix was a joy. The play on words is too obvious not to spend a moment.
It turned out it was not his outer sole, but his inner sole that had been corrected with a simple inserted device making all well again. It was not the obvious outer functional shoe part; but, the unseen, inner, supporting, coddling part. The concept of an inner sole brought me deeper in reflection. “Sole” is a complex word in English.
The bottom or undersurface of a person’s foot is the sole of the foot. Locomotion and advancing towards a goal are determined by the direction the sole takes.
The noun sole lends to the verb sole which means to resole a shoe. The orthotic the monk enjoyed was a custom-made insert that functioned to align the foot to a proper relationship with the gait. It gave better support and did not disrupt balance or comfort.
The adjective sole denotes singularity or isolation, solitude is desolate.
The sole purpose of the sole repair was to give comfort to the sole. Now, back to the play on words.
Disruption of one’s inner soul is not obvious to the casual contact. The inner soul is known only to God and to self by introspection. The disrupted outer soul can be more easily recognized to be tattered, in need of repair and, conversely, is more easily modified cosmetically to fool the world and the owner. One can limp along with a bruised soul; but it is with a well ordered personally fit inner soul that better comfort is possible.
Richard Fitzgerald
January, 2025
