Super heroes

As children, who among us has not idolized a particular figure who has super-human powers and uses it to save the world like Superman? We all need heroes to admire, to emulate; people who exemplify everything good that we are not yet but can possibly be; to hope in a better me, and consequently, a better world.

For me it was Batman, a hero who is smart, strong and untiring in his efforts to fight crime. That he has cool gadgets and the Batmobile, I have to admit, added to his mystique.

His personal story struck a chord in the young me as well. Here was a hero who experienced loss at a young age when he witnessed the murder of his parents, but grows up with a mission to fight evil in the world.

He has all he would ever want in terms of material wealth, but lacks a family in the true sense of the word. He has only Alfred, his butler, and Robin, the Boy Wonder, as members of his surrogate family.

Ultimately, he is alone in his world, the "Dark Knight" who can never regain the warmth of his childhood with doting parents who loved him, and so stands apart.

Lately, my heroes have morphed into real people. Just like Batman, they have unique personal histories that shaped who they were. Just like Batman, they were on a mission to transform the world.

Rowan Williams wrote that 'the self is not a substance one unearths by peeling away layers until one gets to the core, but an integrity one struggles to bring into existence'.

Peter, the brash, impetuous and rough fisherman, who denied Christ on three occasions through fear but later goes on to 'feed His lambs' with great courage and wisdom to the extent of being crucified upside-down.

Paul, the learned and devout Pharisee who is struck physically blind so that he may see Christ in his life and goes on to be 'all things to all men' and brings Christ's message of love and redemption to the Gentiles.

These are men who were true to themselves and lived their lives with integrity as best they knew how.

Not perfect, completely human with human weaknesses, but who lived in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and thus were able to be, and be models of love made in Christ's image.

I salute these two great missionaries, whose feast day we just celebrated Sunday past, and as it is the start of the Year of St. Paul*, I wish for more of his courage, his unflagging faith, his eloquence and ingenuity, and his ability to deploy his talents fully to transform the world I live in.


* The Church commemorates the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul from June 28th, 2008 - June 29th, 2009.