This morning, as I drank my coffee and packed school lunches I listened to an NPR story about Mychal Judge, or Father Mike as he was known. He was described as a devout and irreverent priest with large comforting hands, colorful language, and a huge heart. He was a man who remembered small details about the lives of the many people he encountered and who always made time for them when they needed him. He was once quoted as saying " I don't need a thing in the world. I am the happiest man on the face of the earth. Why am I so blessed? I don't deserve it." He touched the lives of many New Yorkers, 3,000 of whom paid their respects at his funeral.
As I listened to the story, I was filled with tenderness and awe for the people Father Mike left behind. It was their stories, the personal truths each of them pulled from this tragedy, that touched me so deeply this morning. Each of the people interviewed drew their own meaning from Father Mike's death and it has shaped the way they live their lives.
This need, this ability to search for meaning, to question, to try to understand, is one of the most beautiful traits we humans share. Some believe our life paths are the product of divine intervention. Others steadfastly believe that there is no rhyme or reason to life. And still others choose to understand life experiences as the consequences of our choices and actions. What touched me about the stories from Father Mike's survivors, was not what each of them believed or how they came to that belief, but rather that each of them sought to understand and find some truth in Father Mike's death.
Bill Cosgrove, a retired police lieutenant, was one of the people interviewed. He became the subject of an iconic 9/11 photo. In the photo he and several firefighters are carrying Mychal Judge's body out of the wreckage. It is a powerful image to be sure. Lt. Cosgrove had never met Judge, but literally stumbled upon his body as he rushed in to help when the first of the World Trade Center towers was struck. He says of Father Mike:
"He's always been on my mind ever since then, because it's my firm belief that the only reason I'm here today is because of him. I know that sounds weird, but everybody you see in that picture was saved. And I'm sure had he not been there, I would have been trying to look for other people. And when that North Tower fell, I would have been right in the middle of it, just like the rest of the firemen were, and some of my cops. But nothing was going to happen that day. At least, not to me."
Craig Monahan, a firefighter who knew Father Mike and barely survived that day, believes that his death was a fitting end to his life.
"I think he wouldn't have had it any other way. It was as if he took the lead, all those angels, right through heaven's gates, you know. That's what it seemed like to us. And I guess if any of those guys were confused on the way up, he was there to kind of ease the transition from this life to the next."
Father Michael Duffy, a Franciscan brother and long time friend of Father Mychal Judge had many fond memories and stories of their long friendship. He delivered the eulogy at Judge's funeral.
"Mychal Judge's body was the first one released from Ground Zero. His death certificate has the number '1' on the top. Of the thousands of people who perished in that terrible holocaust, why was Mychal Judge number one? And I think I know the reason. Mychal's goal and purpose in life was to bring the firemen to the point of death so they would be ready to meet their maker. Mychal Judge could not have ministered to them all. It was physically impossible — in this life."
I believe the important thing about seeking truth and meaning in our lives is, not so much the answers we find, but what we do with them. How do the truths we find inform our lives and guide us in how we live them? The losses of 9/11 would be far more tragic than they already are if we did not attempt to understand them. There are as many truths to be found from that day as there are seekers. The questions we must ask ourselves are, what do we do with these truths? How do we use them to guide our lives? As a nation it is imperative that we ask these questions.
As significant as 9/11 is in our national history (it is one of those days that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing), we should not limit our search for truth to events of great tragedy or joy. We have the opportunity to find meaning in our lives every day if we only take the time to look. Our own small lives are full of stories. And if we begin to pay attention to these stories, we begin to see the wisdom they hold. And from there, we might begin to see the direction our lives should take next.
These are the truths I found in the story of Father Mychal Judge and those who knew him: We are all seekers. We all have the ability to find truth and meaning in the events of our lives. Even if we share an experience, my truth may not be the same as yours. We do well to use the answers we find to guide us in our lives. I find it awe inspiring that, not only did Mychal Judge touch the lives of thousands of New Yorkers in both his life and his death, but ten years later he touched the life of a woman from California who hadn't even heard of him until this morning. Thank you Father Mike.
To read or listen to the NPR story about Father Mychal Judge visit http://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140293993/slain-priest-bury-his-heart-but-not-his-love
