Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Can you imagine a greater hero from ancient literature than Elijah? The ancient Greek stories had powerful human-like gods, but they had such insidious character flaws; they were heroes without holiness. Elijah was a true hero; a person who not only expressed the power of the one true God, but who also acted with justice and holiness on behalf of the weak and dispossessed. In a time without action movies, TV, or internet, this passage has the same effect as the summer blockbuster hero movie. Elijah is the one who did so many wonderful signs as he tamed evil kings and brought the people back into right relationship with their God.
Who represents a hero character for you today? What makes them a hero? Power is not enough; their will must also be aligned with justice, truth, and virtue. In the decade of the super-hero movie, sadly most of the characters never directly mention faith or religion. Like ancient Greek myths, often might makes right, and the flaws in their virtue are waxed over while their might is occasionally used to get rid of the ‘bad guys.’ Holiness is missing. True power is always connected to the grace of God; those who wield it worship of something even bigger than themselves.
Jesus shows us all how to pray; heroes and humble men and women alike. And even though we so often pray the Our Father as a prayer in itself, it’s helpful to remember Jesus is answering the question, “How shall we pray,” not just, ‘what’s one prayer we can repeat verbatim?’ The way to pray is to remember that God is your father, and we are God’s sons and daughters. Worship God’s holiness, and not our human political ideologies and economic systems. How shall we pray? Ask for the Kingdom to come to Earth, and not just the values of our country. Ask for God’s will do be done, instead of our own. Ask that God will provide for our needs day by day. Ask for forgiveness of our own great sins, and for the grace to forgive those who have so badly hurt us. Keep us out of temptation, and help us escape the power of evil.
This is the Hero’s Prayer. We are all humble before God; any greatness we have comes from God’s powerful grace acting upon us. With God, all things are possible. A true hero knows where power comes from, and worships that source. Today, let us worship our mighty God, and laugh at the world’s incomparable weakness. Amen. AMEN!
-Chris Nieport