I heard an interview with the author of a book on Father Mychal Judge, WTC victim 0001, the chaplain of the FDNY describing his life and death from the perspective of someone who knew him well. The description was of a wonderfully down-to-earth priest who would've bristled at the desires of "followers" to have him canonized. Michael Daly the book's author described Father Judge as someone who sought the saint in everyone - that we are all flawed but there is good in all of us.
He recalled a conversation with Rudy Guiliani in which the mayor asked Fr. Judge to pray for him to which he joked in response "He hears from me all the time; I think he'd like to hear from a real sinner for a change."
But the other nice point he raised about the priest while discussing a ceremony he attended to scatter the ashes of a jewish acquaintence (the ceremony took place on 9/11/98-Daly went back through Fr. Judge's appointment book to find things he did on 9/11's prior). He said that Father Judge's theory was that God communicated with you however you imagined him communicating with you. Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist...
I'm really not doing it justice but it's clear that Father Mike was a unique and wonderful person and it came through the stories that Daly told. I think it's worth reading.
He recalled a conversation with Rudy Guiliani in which the mayor asked Fr. Judge to pray for him to which he joked in response "He hears from me all the time; I think he'd like to hear from a real sinner for a change."
But the other nice point he raised about the priest while discussing a ceremony he attended to scatter the ashes of a jewish acquaintence (the ceremony took place on 9/11/98-Daly went back through Fr. Judge's appointment book to find things he did on 9/11's prior). He said that Father Judge's theory was that God communicated with you however you imagined him communicating with you. Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist...
I'm really not doing it justice but it's clear that Father Mike was a unique and wonderful person and it came through the stories that Daly told. I think it's worth reading.
1 comment:
Fr. Mychal would never have sought to be declared a saint, but this was true of all the saints, who sought only to do God's will.
Still, Mychal Judge is already a saint, whether or not he is formally canonized.
Mychal is a saint by virtue of his whole lifetime of holy heroism, and as evidenced by several medically documented, miraculous healings through his intercession.
See
http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com
Mychal is also a saint by widespread acclamation of the faithful. Rome only took over the canonization business in the 14th century. But in the older tradition of the Church, the faithful already recognize his sainthood. In the end, God makes saints, not Rome.
We must get over the idea that saints are icons of perfection. Every single saint was a sinner, including Mychal Judge. Their holiness lies in the fact that they allowed God into their very human and wounded lives, not that they were perfect people.
Mychal Judge is indeed a saint, and like all saints, he should be imitated more than venerated.
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