“It’s a profound experience, suffering. And the struggles of this disease helped me, and help others, to learn the way that we should have been living all along. It’s taught me a little humility. It’s taught me dignity, respect for others. And sometimes people like me — there’s an extreme example– we need things like this to be able to make those changes, and decisions in our life that are gonna help us become better people, become the people that God has created us to be when he sent us to this planet.”
— Father Stuart Long
July 26, 1963—June 6, 2014
I was watching a Mark Wahlberg movie last week, a move that I deliberately avoided when it came out because it sounded too religious and I didn’t feel like being preached to, but I finally gave in due to equal parts boredom and curiosity.
You need to know that “Father Stu” is a movie starring and produced by Mark Wahlberg and boy was I wrong about the movie. This checks out since it is fair to say that many of us have come to love anything by Mark Wahlberg – think some of the great movies, The Departed, Three Kings, Patriot’s Day, The Fighter, The Italian Job, Four Brothers, Boogie Nights, and on and on.
Despite my concerns about the movie, Father Stu, turned out to be a magnificent and true story about a bad boy boxer who had several tragic moments in his life, and he later converted to be ordained as a catholic priest, against all odds. Father Stu – aka Stuart Long – was a hell raising adult until he found out that he had an incurable progressive disease called “inclusion body myositis,” which is like the deadly Lou Gehrig’s disease.
After enduring much pain and tragedy, he set out on a mission to become a priest after having a religious experience following a near-death accident. The struggle to become ordained was fascinating to see and Stuart faced some unforeseen obstacles. As he fought gamely and all but thought he was never going to reach his goal, his absentee alcoholic father (played by Mel Gibson) gave some timeless and long overdue advice. The aspiring priest was told by his monsignor that the Vatican was not allowing him to move forward. Mel’s character leaned in during this low point, as his son was lying prone on the church floor in a fetal position, and said: “I’ve seen a few boxing matches in my life, and I can tell you a person doesn’t lose by getting knocked down, it is when they won’t get up.” I dare suggest that this is valuable advice that can come in handy for many of us.
Let’s get to the ending, before he died at age 50, Father Stu touched so many people in need and restored many with a belief in faith and themselves. With this poignant story, Father Stu continues to reach out, instruct, inspire and change the optics for many of us.
I disclosed more of the movie than I should have (Han Solo died—inside joke) and I won’t get into any more specifics of the movie other than the closing credits, which made the movie unforgettable. The closing credits end with a testimonial by the real Father Stu and he humbly passes along the opening brilliant and inspiring message.
Suggestion of the day- either watch the movie or go to YouTube and watch the closing credits, when it is time for Father Stu to impart his wisdom—close your eyes and visual his words and actions which are worth reading again.
“It’s a profound experience, suffering. And the struggles of this disease helped me, and help others, to learn the way that we should have been living all along. It’s taught me a little humility. It’s taught me dignity, respect for others. And sometimes people like me — there’s an extreme example– we need things like this to be able to make those changes, and decisions in our life that are gonna help us become better people, become the people that God has created us to be when he sent us to this planet.”
Let me close by stating the obvious, hopefully we don’t need a near death experience or some extreme suffering to realize that we could all live a bit more humbly and be a bit more grateful.
That is all I have to say today.