The nuns were cleaning the convent when Mother Superior exclaims “Clean extra well this morning, sisters, a bishop is coming this afternoon!”.
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Sr Impatient angrily whispers to an older nun “Why is it such a big deal when a bishop visits?”
The older nun whispers back “Because you don’t often see a bishop in here.” “Yeah but we work here, but Mother Superior never makes a big deal about us. Nobody ever makes a big deal of us nuns,” says Sr Impatient, still annoyed, but whispering.
The older nun smiles and says “The first will be last and the last will be first, remember? So don’t worry Sr Impatient; they’ll make a big deal over you in heaven.”
So Sr Impatient dies and is led through the pearly gates to her place of eternal reward. She is respectfully clapped by all the choirs as she is led past each of them. After she has taken her place she also begins cheering as men and women and strange creatures from all over creation are clapped and cheered by all.
After an eternity, Sr Impatient hears clapping and cheering and screaming for joy like she had never heard before. She can’t believe her beatific vision; the cheers and even joyful screams were all being made for a bishop.
So she puts down her harp, leans forward and taps her guardian angel on the wing and shouts “What the hell is going on? I never got a cheer like that bishop when I came through the pearly gates!” Her angel laughs and says “Yes, but we see nuns come through those gates all the time; but we don’t often see a bishop up here.”
Now don’t be offended, I told that joke to Bishop William Brennan once. He didn’t laugh, but he didn’t kick me out of the seminary either.
Last Monday, September 26, a significant event happened for Wagga. It was my birthday. No. Well, yes, it was my birthday last Monday but that was not the significant event. Last Monday, the Catholic Bishop of Wagga officially retired and so now comes a period of time for Catholics and in this ecumenical age I would hope non-Catholics, to await and even pray for Pope Francis to appoint a new Catholic Bishop of Wagga.
I think there are two types of good leaders; those who can inspire the team with wise advice, and those who can inspire the team by example. For bishops, they have to be both. Already I have heard good people say such things as “We need a bishop who will crack the whip”, and “We need a bishop who is going to kick heads”.
With the passage of time I have come to disagree. Jesus never said “Blessed are the whipcrackers” nor “Blessed are the headkickers”. He did say “Blessed are the merciful”. He did say “Blessed are the peacemakers”. He did say “Blessed are the pure in heart”.
I myself would love to see another bishop like Bishop Brennan. Initially I was afraid of him as I knew he was the type who “doesn’t suffer fools gladly” and I admit I am a fool. But whenever we met, even when I was getting busted for doing or saying something stupid, he always treated me with love and dignity and I always walked away wanting to be a better man.
As we pray or even just hope for a new and good bishop for Wagga, let us remember Jesus’s own advice to his first bishops when he saw them arguing “You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen.”