Big Daddy

Nineteen years ago yesterday, Big Daddy died.  He was Fr. Ed Lyons, CSP.  He liked to drink, smoke, eat unhealthy foods, had a big pot belly, and I thought him a mess.  How wrong I was.  I judged him because I was a mess, too immature to see the mentor who he was.  He taught me a lot and I only realized this years later.  He had a real love and compassion for people who were hurting and down on themselves.  He put up with me whereas I thought I was some gift in his life.  He was the gift in my life.  He saw something in me that was good, a potential, beyond the dumb, selfish, egocentric things I did.  I am still a priest and a better one because of Big Daddy.  So when I see someone acting like a jerk, I will ask myself, “What would Big Daddy do?”  Maybe this person has some potential and I need to be patient and be a teacher even if the student is not ready.  Maybe when I am gone, I will have left some light behind for whenever people grow up to turn on the switch.  So try not to judge, but rather to model a better behavior.  Don’t worry about the results. They may take more time than you will be given to see.