As our parish laid to rest a one-of-a-kind superhero last weekend, we found he was of the best kind. Because mostly, he was kind and… humble. He did the things other people would not. I am pretty sure we don’t realize how many of this type of hero we run into every day.
They surround us. We don’t see them in their ‘super-ness’ or their superhero armor because they are the ultimate kind of hero. They never ‘show off’ their special power, keeping it invisible. They do the little things that do not get noticed, the stuff no one else will do. Always are they thrifty, kind, obedient and perhaps most of all, reverent. Little, if any of these traits, are noticed by another human’s eye. This kind of hero makes it a point to give credit where credit is due, to the One Who created them in His Image and Likeness. They believe credit is too heavy a burden to bear and are happy to give it to the One responsible.
One of the cool things about these wonder filled folk satiating so many parts of our society around the world is, even in the face of chaos surrounding them, they relentlessly pursue their mission…
To make every day count towards making someone else’s life a little better, persisting in the simple things like helping every person they meet laugh as they greet them along the way of doing errands like going to the post office, the bank, or the local grocery store. They’ll stop in the middle of a busy day to listen to a story of a fellow Image and Likeness of Him whose life encountered serious woe, as in an illness, or an illness of a close friend, or of a loved one.
What really separates these heroes is while going through the day…
They pray. Ceaselessly. From waking to sleeping. They pray for the people they’ve met along the way. They go through endless lists of names of people here and people There. They are not afraid to ask the intercession of Our Mother or any one of many saints. The core of their prayer always leads to the Master, in all His Triune-ness. It is to Him they plead the cause of those around them. They know His Spirit resides in every one of us created in His Image and Likeness. When they see another mortal from any place, any country, of any color, of any political persuasion, of any culture, with any point of view...
They see the One that made us all, saved us all, resides in everyone we meet.
And yet silent they remain, except to get that laugh with a joke or comment, or to thank another person and ‘thank’ they do, over and over and over – especially the One responsible for all. Only when called upon by the Spirit and recognizing, discerning, that It is the Spirit that calls them to speak out loud, do they do so, always for a cause of goodness, kindness to other people, helping those in greater need and never ever for their own personal needs, gain or power.
I not only find great comfort, but also a surge of excitement, because I believe these Spirit driven heroes will coalesce and serve the needs of others in every expanding numbers and roles. So when you see one, recognize one - yes - please thank them! Most importantly thank the One Who created them… remembering any of us can be a superhero amongst us.
It just starts with prayer and a willingness to do His will, not our own, because He is the Ultimate Superhero who resides in every one of us, is all among us, all the time, everywhere, even the very air - until time is no more and we go to our true Home, cuddled in His arms to be with Him and all we truly love because we are all love…
Together and forever.
clement