FATHER MIKE

Jacques is sleeping about twenty two hours a day now.

It’s just a matter of a few more days.

Despite his pain and suffering, he continues to be in control of his destiny. He insists on keeping his morphine use to a minimum and he refuses to order a suction machine even though he may soon need one.

Today I wondered what on earth I was doing as I drove to Jacques’ home. How could I possibly be of any help at this point in Jacques’ journey? I’m really not much of a leaning post.

And then I thought about Father Mike.

Last week, Father Michael Hawkins SJ visited Jacques to administer the Sacrament of the Sick. When I heard that Father Mike was a Jesuit priest who had spent forty five years of his life serving the people of India, I was eager to meet a man who must be a disciple of the Mother Teresa Academy of Sainthood.

As I drove out to Manresa in Pickering to pick him up, I wondered what we’d talk about. Should I ask him about his call to serve others, about his adjustments to living in a foreign land, about the anchors of his faith?

Could he help Mike 2.0 move up a notch to Mike 2.1?

As I drove through the iron gates at Manresa (not sure if the gates are actually for keeping some of the Jesuits in or strangers out), I saw a disheveled old man with a walker shuffling along a cement ramp. It was Father Mike. I put his walker in the trunk then helped him into my car.

After bringing him up to speed on Jacques’ condition, we chatted a bit about his work in India and his mastery of many Indian dialects. He spoke warmly about his long standing relationship with Bob Lato and his wife Margaret.

“Would you believe I’ve known Bob since 1967 when he first came to India with a group of students (led by Tom Sullivan) from Brebeuf College,” he explained.

I didn’t have the heart to tell Father that I’ve known Bob since 1960. I learned a long time ago to never try to one up a Jesuit.

His time with Jacques was heart warming and on the drive back to Pickering, the seventy five year old priest said he was happy he had made the visit. I was still keen to find what made this man for others tick. However, rather than discuss profound topics like the secrets of happiness or the redemptive power of suffering, we talked about the weather, the price of condos in Toronto, the average wage of a teacher in Canada, the fact that he had never driven a car, where he bought his clerics and his hope to return to Manresa in time for dinner and a glass of sherry.

This man wasn’t a giant, he wasn’t a superman. He was just a regular guy with a big heart and a desire to help others. His down to earth personality was both charming and disarming.

Now, I’m not a Father Mike but I am Mike 2.0. I realize that I can make a difference if I let God lead the way and I shouldn’t worry about giving Him any more in-services.

I’m a rimless zero but I realize that when you put the One in front of me….. I can become a Ten.