A Priest, A Preacher and a Rabbi...Pay attn' Robert
A priest, a Pentecostal preacher, and a Rabbi, all served as
chaplains
to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to
talk
shop.
One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't
really
all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One
thing
led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all
go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to
convert
it.
Several days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.
Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has
various bandages, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the
woods to
find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the
Catechism.
Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me
around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy
Mary
Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out
next
week to give him first communion and confirmation."
Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm
and
both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone
oratory he claimed, " WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't
sprinkle! I
went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear
from
God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I
took
HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP
another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick DUNKED
him
and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as
gentle
as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."
They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed.
He
was in a body cast, and traction, with IV's and monitors running in
and
out of him. He was in bad shape.
The rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may
not have been the best way to start."
