The Wingman

Accepting the role of the supporting saint  

Acts of the Apostles 11:21B-26; 13:1-3 

In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.   

          Have you heard of the “wingman” before? The concept comes from the U.S. Air Force, where fighter jets fly in tight tactical formation. Next to the lead jet is the so-called “wingman,” whose role is to follow the lead of the principal pilot. The wingman is supposed to protect the lead pilot, to “cover his six” as they say, so that the lead pilot can take out the primary target. Now, the Urban Dictionary defines the wingman as a friend you take along on a double-date, who entertains the less desirable of the duo, while you focus on the hot chick. So, the wingman has lots of applications.  In whatever situation, though, the great value of the wingman is he embodies the virtue of humility; he’s not jealous or envious of the main pilot, who gets all the praise and the props.   

          Do you remember at the end of the movie, Top Gun, no one wants to be the wingman? Iceman says to Maverick: “You. You can be my wingman anytime.” And Maverick replies, “No way, you can be mine.” But you see, someone has to be the wingman; without one, the operation simply will not succeed.   

          Today is the feast day of St. Barnabas, and in my opinion, he’s the spiritual equivalent of a wingman. What do I mean? Well, in the New Testament, especially in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas travel together, preaching and teaching. But who’s the hero, who gets all the glory? Clearly, it is St. Paul, who is ranked among the saints right up there with St. Peter. So, who was St. Barnabas? He was St. Paul’s wingman – he traveled with him, he “covered his six,” he made sure Paul had the spiritual support to be successful. In other words, Barnabas embodies the great virtue of humility; he let Paul get all the praise and the props. Nevertheless, St. Barnabas, while relatively unknown, played a huge part in the success of Paul’s missionary journeys. Barnabas humbly said to Paul, “I’ll be your wingman.”   

          My friends, I am convinced that nothing sucks the life out of success like jealousy and envy. On the other hand, nothing else breathes success into an organization like the humility emblematic of the wingman. This dynamic can be seen in families, where sibling rivalry – where no one wants to be the wingman – leaves deep wounds that take a lifetime to heal. This happens in companies where one person gets the promotion and another must be the wingman, but refuses to play that part. This even happens in the Church, where one priest gets to be the pastor and another must be the associate, or the wingman. I am very happy to have Fr. Pius here, who humbly says to me every morning, “I’ll be your wingman.” Or, at least that’s what he says.   

          Sometimes in life we get to be the hero and get all the glory. At other times, we have to be humble and accept the role of the wingman. The success of any organization depends on having both.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!