Footsteps of Heroes

Taking our place in the line of heroic succession  

Sirach 48:1-14  

Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? You brought a dead man back to life from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.   

          Have you heard who will be the new bishop of Tulsa, our neighboring diocese? He’s actually a friend of mine from seminary, Fr. David Konderla. He’s originally from Austin, TX, an avid Aggie (don’t hold that against him), and will be ordained as the fourth bishop of Tulsa on June 29th. He recently posted on Facebook a photo of his bishop’s crozier – the staff a bishop carries – which he made himself. The picture was of the staff, still incomplete, below a picture of Pope John Paul II. Bishop Konderla wrote this caption: “In between loading boxes of books, and under the watchful eye of my mentor, I’m putting the second coat of varnish on the three pieces of the Crozier.” Clearly, John Paul II is one of Bishop Konderla’s heroes, someone he wants to emulate. But I would suggest to you that Bishop Konderla has his own admirers (just check out his Facebook page), and they look to him as their hero. Maybe they have a picture of him hanging on their wall at home and refer to him as their mentor and hero. In other words, heroes always stand in a line of heroic succession – one hero following in the footsteps of the other –each emulating the virtues of their predecessors.   

          In the first reading from Sirach we see another line of heroic succession. Sirach extols the virtues of the prophet Elijah, saying, “How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours?” And he goes and on to recount Elijah’s extraordinary exploits. But the interesting thing about the Book of Sirach is that it was written by Shimon, who was actually the son of Sirach; the book is a collection of his father’s wisdom. And Shimon himself was a hero to his grandson, who, around the year 175 BC, added a prologue to the Book of Sirach. In other words, in the family of Sirach we see another line of heroic succession – each one lauding the virtues and wisdom of his predecessor. You see, heroes never stand alone.   

          Today, let me invite you to identify your own heroes. Do you have a picture on your wall of Pope John Paul II, or maybe of Pope Francis? Maybe your heroes would include past presidents, like Abraham Lincoln, or social reformers, like Martin Luther King Jr., or writers like Ernest Hemingway (who lived in Piggott, AR!).  Or maybe your heroes would be a little closer to home, literally, like your parents. I know my own hall of fame of heroes would include my two grandmothers (very holy women) and Fr. George Tribou. Even while you acknowledge your heroes, don’t forget that other people may put you on their preferred list of heroes, too: co-workers, siblings, parishioners. By the way, you don’t qualify for hero status just by taking your grandchildren out of ice creme all the time. But you see, all heroes stand in a line of heroic succession: you emulate your heroes, and others emulate you.   

          Hebrews 13: 7 says, “Remember your leaders [your heroes] who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” My friends, heroes never stand alone.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!