SAD NEWS FROM A FELLOW VOLUNTEER MISSIONARY

 

Father John Judie, a retired priest from Louisville, has been volunteering in the east African country of Tanzania. Last week, he fell and wounded both knees. Since I have been trying to assist him in his ministry in Tanzania, while continuing in my own ministry in the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, I sent him an e-mail as soon as I heard about his fall and his wounds. Here is the response and update I got:

"Thanks, Ron. Both knees injured have been repaired. Three days of post surgery, then two weeks of lying still. Will discuss with the doctor today about the rehab program. Many thanks for the prayers."

John

If you know Father John, or would just like to send him an encouraging word, you can e-mail him at:

johnjudie48@gmail.com

If you would like to know more about his ministry in east Africa, you can access his organization's webpage at the web-address below. Who knows? Maybe you will be inspired to send a Thanksgiving or Christmas donation to his organization's Louisville address to help him out in his mission ministry in east Africa. It's conveniently tax-deductible!  

frjohnjudieministriesinc.org

 

A PASSION FOR PERSONAL AND VOCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,

with all your mind and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor 

as yourself. There are no other commandments greater than these.

Mark 12:28-34

I have grown to love the 2007 movie, “The Bucket List,” starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. It’s about two terminally ill old men on a road trip with a list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.” 

In one of my very favorite scenes, they are both sitting on one of the pyramids in Egypt. Morgan Freeman’s character says to Jack Nicholson’s character, “You know the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven…the gods asked them two questions. Their answer determined whether they were admitted or not. “Have you found joy in your life?” “Has your life brought joy to others?” 

Because I was about to retire nine years ago, it was serendipitous that I should stumble onto it. It occurred to me that it raises a ton of questions for reflection on my retirement. These two questions may have been two of the most important questions facing me as I sought to create a second life with the experiences I had accumulated. “Have you found joy in your life?” “Has your life brought joy to others?”  

Many people nearing my age, especially those going into retirement, speak of retirement as a time to pamper oneself and finally being able to do whatever they want to do! Our culture teaches us that retirement is a time for self-indulgence. Move to Florida! Sleep in! Putter around the garden or workshop! Play golf every day! Hang out at McDonald’s and drink coffee till noon with other old men! God spare me! Thomas Merton was right when he said, “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”

My main goal going into retirement was first of all to challenge the temptation, from my own mind and from the mouths of others, to think too small. I knew didn’t want to quit being a priest, but I wanted to be a priest in a new way. I certainly knew that I wanted to do more than just keep doing what I have always done, but less of it. Neither did I want a permanent vacation. I have spent my whole life as a priest dreaming bigger than what was considered wise. Some of those dreams did not materialize, but more than I could have imagined, have materialized! I wanted to keep "dreaming big" in a way that was age appropriate, so I nixed taking up "inline skating," but I still wanted my retirement to be a springboard to adventure, not a hammock for my lazy side to lie in.

The ancient Egyptians may have asked people on their entry into heaven: “Have you found joy in your life?” “Has your life brought joy to others?” Jesus taught us today that we will be asked a similar question on our entry into heaven:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,

with all your mind and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There are no other commandments greater than these. 

“Have I found joy in my life?” “Has my life brought joy to others?” I can't answer for you, but I can speak for myself. Maybe how I answer these two questions will help you answer them for yourselves. 

"Have I found joy in my life?" I can answer that question with a resounding "yes!" I am convinced that my life as a priest has brought me so much joy that I have even summarized it officially: "Simply Amazed - Forever Grateful" I have not only been "called" to the priesthood, but I have been blessed with meeting so many wonderful people who have made priesthood a real honor and has brought me great joy! As I look back over my life, coming from a rural town of 27 people, and think about the all people I have met, the places I have been and the things I have gotten to do, I am "simply amazed" and I will be "forever grateful." The joy that I have found in my life has come from preaching the love of God in word and deed as a home missionary, a country pastor, a cathedral pastor, a vocation director, a seminary staff member, a fifteen-year weekly columnist, a traveling parish mission preacher, a volunteer foreign missionary and a priest convocation presenter in 10 countries and author of several related books. Most of that time, I have specialized in preaching the love of God to the poor, the marginalized, the left-out and those who have not yet realized it!   

"Has my life brought joy to others?" I can answer that question with a resounding "yes" as well! It's either true are a whole lot of people have been lying to me for a very long time! I have not been perfect and not everyone has expressed appreciation for my work, but I can say with confidence that I have been very happy and I know I have brought happiness to a whole lot of others! 

In my retirement, I have not slowed down all that much, but I have have adjusted my focus. I no longer travel to far-off places, but I do a lot of ministry here at home and other places from a distance. I help-out in several parishes. I help-out weekly at the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home and monthly at the Ursuline Sisters Retirement Community at the Twinbrook Nursing Home. I am finishing up a few more small projects in my home parish in Meade County. I am still helping with small projects in the Caribbean Missions and I have added a couple of small projects in the African Missions. I still publish a few books, maintain a blog and celebrate a few funerals. 

I no longer spend a whole lot of energy trying to fix the institutional structures of the church. I am leaving that to younger priests and bishops. My focus and passion now is on ministry to individuals - helping them with their happiness and helping them bring happiness to others!   

USEFUL WISDOM FOR 2024 #41

 

 

 

 

ON THAT GREAT "ALL SAINTS DAY" - LET'S BE THERE WITH THEM!

 

 

We are all trav'ling in the footsteps

Of those that've gone before

We'll all be reunited

On that new and sunlit shore.

When the saints go marching in

When the saints go marching in

Lord, how I want be in that number

When the saints go marching in

And when the sun refuses to shine

When the sun refuses to shine

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the saints go marching in

Oh when the saints go marching in

Oh when the saints go marching in

Lord, how I want to be in that number

Oh when the saints go marching in

And when the trumpet sounds its call

When the trumpet sounds its call

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the trumpet sounds its call

When the saints marching in

When the saints go marching in

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the saints go marching in

And some say that this world of trouble

Is the only one we'll ever see

But I'm waiting for that morning

When the new world is revealed

Oh when the new world is revealed

Oh when the new world is revealed

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the new world is revealed. 

When the saints (oh when the saints) go marching in (go marching in)

When the saints go marching in (go marching in)

Lord, how I want (Lord, how I want) to be in that number (be in that number) 

When the saints go marching in.

HALLOWEEN HUMOR

                                                                                    

EVEN POPE FRANCIS CAN APPRECIATE A GOOD JOKE

 

“Remember this,” Pope Francis told 100 comedians in a special audience, “When you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.”

June 14, 2024

The Pope Arrives in New York

Pope Francis arrives in New York and is picked up at the airport by a limousine. Being used to public transportation during his years in Buenos Aires, he looks at the limo and says to the driver, “You know, I hardly ever get to drive. Would you please allow me to?”

The driver hesitates and replies, “I’m really sorry, Your Holiness, but I really don’t think I’m supposed to let you do that.”

But Pope Francis won’t give up that easily, so he persists until the driver finally gives up. “All right, all right. I guess one can’t really say no to the pope.”

So the pope takes the wheel and hits the gas, making it around 80 mph in a 40-mph zone. It doesn’t take long until he gets pulled over on Interstate 278.

The young officer walks to the car and as the pope rolls down the window, he really doesn’t know what to do. Surprised, he asks the pope to wait for a bit as he goes back to his patrol car and radios the chief.

Cop: Chief … I think I have a problem.

Chief: What kind of a problem is that?

Cop: Well … I pulled over this guy for driving over the speed limit but … I mean, he’s like really important.

Chief: Whaddaya mean important? Important like … the mayor?

Cop: Oh, no … way more important than the mayor.

Chief: Wha … the governor?

Cop: Wayyyyyy more.

Chief: The president?

Cop: No. I’m talking way more than that.

Chief: Who could be any more important than the president?

Cop: I mean, I really don’t know, Chief, but he’s got the pope driving for him!

_____________________

The Queen Takes the Pope on a Carriage Ride Around London

Suddenly one of the horses farts very loudly.

“Oh my goodness, I am so terribly sorry!” apologizes the embarrassed Queen.

“Oh don't worry about it" the Pope replied "If you hadn't said anything, I would have just thought it was one of the horses!"

                                            ____________________________________



President Biden invites the Pope to lunch on a boat. 

The Pope accepted and during lunch, a puff of wind blew the pontiff's hat off, right into the water. It floated off about 50 feet, then the wind died down and it just floated in place.

The crew and the Secret Service were scrambling to launch a boat to go get it, when Biden waved them off, saying, "Never mind boys, I'll get it."

Then Biden climbed over the side of the yacht, walked on the water to the hat and picked it up, walked back on the water, climbed into the yacht, and handed the Pope his hat.

The crew was speechless. The security team and the Pope's entourage were speechless. No one knew what to say, not even the Pope.

But that afternoon, FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN reported:

"BIDEN CAN'T SWIM"

                                   _________________________________________



So the Pope goes down into a deep vault below the Vatican, where they keep the most ancient sacred texts.

Scholarly priests spend decades examining these handwritten scrolls for translation errors. The Pope finds one of them hard at work and asks if he has found anything.

"Why yes, your Excellency. Look here, where we have always thought it said 'smite', but there's an 'R' there, it clearly says 'smart'". "Fantastic! How long did it take you to find that?" asks the Pope.
"Ten years."

The Pontiff finds another scholar at work, and asks how it is going.
"Here, Excellency, you see we always thought it said 'bead', but there's an 'R', it clearly says 'bread."
"Wonderful! And how long did you take to find that?" "20 years." answered the Priest.

The Pope comes across another guy. The fellow is tearing out his hair, ripping up his robes, and beating himself over the head with one of the fragile tomes. "There's an 'R'! There's an 'R'!" he exclaims. "30 years, I've been down here, and there's an 'R'!"  The Pope grabs the guy by the shoulders and tries to calm him down. "My son! I can see you are upset by what you've found but it can't be all that bad. What is it?"
"All this time we thought it said 'celibate'!"