Tuesday – St. John Vianney

Gospel –  Matthew14:22-36

Super Heroes!

St Mary’s Church, Newport MD

So, a simple question to start the day.  Who is your favorite superhero?  Superman?  Batman?  Wonder Woman?  Black Panther?  Thor? 

For me?  None of the above!  My superhero was and always has been Green Lantern!  I loved his costume; I loved that, in spite of all his powers, he had a weakness – the color yellow.  But most of all, I loved his OATH:

In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight

Let those who worship evil's might,

Beware my power... Green Lantern's light!

 

For me, that pledge embodied in the simplest of words his morality and his beliefs!  He stands for good and against evil, no matter when and no matter where!  He is a beacon of light in the darkness! 

We can really get caught up with superheroes.  I always thought that, if the wind was strong enough, I could fly like Superman.  We dress up as our favorite for Halloween!  We plaster our bedroom wall with posters and we can’t wait for the latest comic or Marvel movie to come out so we can experience their adventures! 

In some way or other, a superhero is someone we look up to, admire and want to imitate!    In simplest terms, these are ordinary people who lived with extraordinary faith!  No super powers!  No fancy costume or secret identity!  They lived a faith-filled life!  They were merciful, meek, poor in spirit, recognizing that we are all dependent on God.  They are peacemakers, clean of heart, comforters, peacemakers, hungry for justice and righteousness.  They embody the Beatitudes in their daily lives!  Now that is a pledge to live by!

So I ask again – who’s your favorite (patron) super hero (saint)?  For my Mom, it’s St. John Vianney!  There is a parish near our family home in Southern Maryland that has a shrine dedicated to the Cure d’Ars.  Talk about a ‘superhero’!  Years ago, there was a young farmer who was impaled on a sharp tobacco stake which pierced his stomach. He was rushed to a Washington DC hospital. The local pastor went to the hospital and placed a relic of St. John Vianney on the young man’s stomach and he was restored to health.  That young man was my grandfather.

The Cure d’Ars was a simple parish priest who devoted his life to his flock and to hearing confessions. No great theological writings!  No great adventures or super powers!  Just an ordinary person with extraordinary faith!  So today let’s remember the superheroes in our lives, those people who have been recognized as saints by the Church and serve as our patron saints and guides as well as all those ‘sainted’ individuals in our personal lives who have dedicated themselves to their faith and served as a shining example of the Beatitudes for all of us

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