Subject: Three preachers and a Bear

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains
to the students of University of Notre Dame in South Bend. 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.

Seven 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. I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary
Mother of God, he became gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next
week to give him his 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 him from God's HOLY WORD!
But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we
began to rassle. We rassled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until
we came to a crick. 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
week in fellowship, feasting on God's Holy Word, and 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, "You fellows
don't even know what trouble is until you try to circumcise a bear."