I have had this quote in my desk blotter for some time... and it is also in my gig notebook. Today I found out more about the author.
Father Mychal Judge was a chaplain in the NYFD. He heard about the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11 and rushed to the scene to be... a chaplain and pastor, or, as he was called, "The Fireman's Friar."
I found out more about his story here and here. After reading about his life, the words of this prayer have a deeper meaning to me...
Lord,
Take me where You want me to go
Let me meet who you want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say, and
Keep me out of Your way.
- Father Mychal Judge
That, my friends, is a legacy lived well...
Deb
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3 comments:
Most of us first heard of Father Mychal Judge, the late New York fire chaplain and "the saint of 9/11", from that iconic photo of his body being carried from Ground Zero.
Yet even prior to his heroic death on 9/11, Father Mychal was widely seen by many New Yorkers as a living saint for his deep spirituality and his extraordinary work not only with firefighters -- but with the homeless, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and others rejected by society.
This often annoyed the church hierarchy. But like his spiritual father St. Francis of Assisi, Mychal reported directly to a Higher Authority, as evidenced by several miraculous healings through him.
For more information about Father Mychal, you are welcome to visit:
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com
You're right, Deb, that is a powerful legacy, and a creed to aspire to!
I'm not sure if this is the same person or not, but a few weeks after 9/11, I heard a story on NPR that really brought home the enormity of the loss of "first responders". It included an older segment with someone - I'm pretty sure it was this chaplain - where he was talking about how many firefighters had died in the line of duty since the formation of the NYFD. If I recall correctly, it was half (or less!) the number who died on that day. It brought tears to my eyes. But in addition to that statistic, I remember the power and humility of the person speaking. It's nice to learn a little more about him.
interesting - what a godly hero!
I never understand (really) why church hierarchy get snotty about priests (and laity) going about Jesus' business. Sometimes we are just like the Pharisees aren't we?
To love sinners is not to condone their way of life - but to rescue them for it. Like Jesus calling Z. down from the tree.Z repented and turned his life around - becoming a blessing to others and helping them on their way
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