Book Review
"Father Joe" by Joe Hendra
by Rose Bradshaw
When Stephen Schmidt invited me to review Tony Hendra’s spiritual memoir, Father Joe, the Man Who Saved My Soul, it sounded like something I could write in my sleep. As a practicing Catholic, avid reader, and product of many a firm and nurturing hand, I thought I knew this drill. I looked forward to the opportunity to read a good book and reflect on the many teachers who have guided my way.
The book delivered on both counts. But like Hendra’s visits with his Benedictine mentor, I came away with a lot more than I bargained for, a very personal call to action.
Tony Hendra is a quintessential product of the 20th Century. Born and reared in post-war England, his natural intellect is rewarded with a scholarship to Cambridge. In due time, Hendra distinguishes himself as a satirical writer, landing a top editorial post at National Lampoon Magazine, followed by a string of prestigious writing jobs in television and film. Hendra soon takes up the life of a successful Hollywood satirist. He attends swell parties, watches beautiful sunsets in Malibu, and contemplates suicide.
Throughout Hendra’s odyssey, Father Joe serves as his touchstone, confessor, mentor and guide. When he first meets Father Joe, at the tender age of 14, it’s a life-changing experience. Previous to meeting the Benedictine monk, Hendra’s religious instruction left him intellectually challenged, but spiritually untouched and personally unengaged. Father Joe introduces him to a God for the Soul, one who is gentle, generous, all seeing and all forgiving. Father Joe’s God is:
“one who felt His joy and your joy deeply,
who could be hurt just as deeply but would never give up on you,
who showered you with gifts and opportunities whether you acknowledged them or not,
who set tasks, but did not abandon you if you failed them.”
The fact that Father Joe embodies all these qualities is not lost on his charge. Throughout his journey, Hendra often ruminates about whether this limping, blinking, stuttering old man might not be God incarnate. In reading Hendra’s memoir, my thoughts turned to the many Father Joe’s that have lit my way over the years, yet gone unheralded. They have come in all shapes and sizes—brilliant professors, off-beat relatives, colorful neighbors. My best teachers have taught me lessons I was not yet ready to learn for myself. They generously paid attention to my struggles, wisely recognized my resistance, offered me tools, and asked me to take the steps necessary to change my life.
While the sage advice Father Joe imparts throughout the book is perfectly suited to the crisis du jour of an all-too-human Hollywood writer, I found the monk’s gentle words jumping off the page into my heart, perfectly pitched to address the immediate concerns and particular circumstances of this reviewer. As much as I appreciated his words of wisdom and the opportunity to apply them to my own life, I soon realized that, as Hendra would say, Father Joe wasn’t done with me yet.
Our best guides help us understand the imperative of taking life and the call to action personally. “Be unselfish,” says Father Joe. Don’t just apply Father Joe’s words to address your own concerns, but remember that there may be others out there that are counting on you to BE their Father Joe. Listen with an ear that “wills the good of another,” as Thomas Aquinas tells us. Make your work a prayer that reflects the glory of God. Eliminate the self. And give thanks.
Hendra’s book introduces us to a man
“who saw God everywhere, shining out from the
down-to-earth and battered and untidy and defeated…
a common sense saint,
a saint of what could be done, not should be done,
a practical saint, a saint of imperfection.”
Father Joe is a man I won’t soon forget, and for that I give thanks.
