The past two+ weeks have been awesome, filled with excitement, travel, adventure, new cultures, you name it. For the first week of Christmas break I went with two brothers to Morocco for a week- which was an incredibly fun and adventurous trip. And after spending Christmas day here in Rome I went with another brother to Padova for a week. And although during these trips I was able to see a lot of amazing things and terrains, I truly believe that the best way to describe the past few weeks is by describing the people that I encountered, especially the heroes that I encountered. So here it is, in order of appearance, the heroes of the world:1. The EasyJet check-in attendant at the airport in Rome. This witty employee checked us in for our flight while withstanding loud insults such as "Tu sei maleducatto" (You are poorly educated/raised) with a cool, calm, and collected composure from a disgruntled flier who felt as though he had been passed over in the line. He was able to calmly check us in for our flight and maintain control over the situation at the same time, reminding the angry Italian who was yelling at him that he decides who is next in line. This check-in attendant is a hero for his calm composure in the midst of an all too typical storm of chaotic overly emotional and dramatic Italian frustration.
2. The Franciscan priests of Marrakech. These priests do not evangelize to the community at large. They do not in any way try to convert anyone to Christianity. They d
o not baptize citizens of Morocco. They do not do these things because such actions are illegal in the Islamic state of Morocco, in which a person must be Muslim in order to be a citizen, and would result in sure imprisonment and deportation. Rather, these men of God selflessly invest themselves totally in the service of two communities of religious women in northern Morocco and an almost entirely transient parish population of tourists and university students. They follow and obey the law of the land and believe that they give glory and praise to God by their lives of prayer and ministry to Christians who happen to find themselves in Morocco. These Franciscan priests are heroes for their entirely selfless and joyful living of the Gospel in a foreign land.
3. The Moroccan foot-carpenter. This Moroccan makes chess pieces and kabob holders with his feet! A huge part of Marrakech is covered with open air markets called the Suhk, which are filled with little shops and eager store owners who try at all measures to convince you to enter their shop and then to buy something, anything. These store owners are almost all fluent (at least in what they need to say to sell something) in French, Arabic, English, Spanish, and Italian. I think that they are convinced that the only valid reason for someone coming to their country is to buy as many knick-knac consumer goods as humanly possible. But this foot-carpenter takes a different approach. Instead of using overly aggressive sales pitches and guilt trips, he uses the skills of his craft to draw in customers and sell his expertly made carvings. It is clear that this carpenter takes pride in his work and in how his work brings joy to others. This foot-carpenter is a hero for his obvious skills and his ease in relating to passers-by.4. Charles de Foucauld. Blessed Charles de Foucauld had been a hero of mine ever since I first read his "Prayer of Abandonment" on the ordination card of a good friend last spring. And being in Morocco, where Foucauld spent a considerable amount of time, gave me a deeper insight into who this man was and the world in which he founded his communities of The Little Brothers of the Sacred Heart and The Little Brothers and Little Sisters of Jesus. He is heralded even today for his devotion to being a universal brother-- one who is a brother to all people. Through his simplicity of life and intimate relationship with God, Foucauld was able to be a brother to many many people from all walks of life. Blessed Charles de Foucauld is a hero for his dedication to right relationships and to community founded upon and around Jesus Christ.
5. The Catholic Church. Spending a week in a non-Christian country with a culture that thinks completely differently and holds entirely different values left me with a greater appreciation for the Catholic Church-- especially in its emphasis on hope and on love. We returned to Rome on Christmas Eve and just about the first thing that we did was go to the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at St. Peter’s with Pope Benedict. I was blown away by the enormous crowd of pilgrims from all over the world; and how we all stood together out in the square waiting patiently and joyfully to enter the Basilica for Mass. I was also truly impressed by the message, at least the part that I understood, of Pope Benedict’s homily—that the Christmas mystery is a paradox in which the Truth, the Divine One, becomes a simple, poor, and dependent child—and it is in this weakness that He shows His strength. The Catholic Church is a hero for its unwavering conviction in hope and its dedication to give of self in love and service to all people.
6. Samuel. Samuel is a homeless man from Nigeria who lives in Venice. My friend and I met Samuel on the street as he asked us for any spare change that we have. My friend responded immediately by asking him if he was hungry… he was; and we went into the nearest pizza shop to share some good eats. In our conversation with Samuel I was totally floored by his joy and excitement in learning that we are seminarians and his sincere encouragement for us to stay on the right track and to truly bring the Good News of God to people—no matter who they are or where they are. He then went on to talk about how tremendous of a privilege and joy it is to serve God… we agreed. Samuel is a hero for his genuine witness to the joy of living for God.
7. Fr. Patsilver and Fr. Benjamin. These men are priests from Nigeria who minister to a growing population of African immigrants in Padova, Italy. They welcomed us to their rectory for lunch (pepper bull-leg soup) and eagerly shared with us the joys of being a priest and the very best things of Africa and the many struggles of the Church in Africa. These men, then, went on to share their joy in working with the immigrant population and to tell us about how they were going to bring in the new year. They were planning a praise service which would go all night on the 31st in which they, with the people of God, would sing their hearts out in gratitude and praise all night long. They smiled and laughed in sharing how joyous and appropriate this service is in crossing the threshold into a new year with God. These men are heroes for their passion in being ministers of joy.
8. The gondola workers. For better or worse, in just about every place that I have visited over here some American tourists really stand out. No place was this more clear than in Venice when a group of young adult American tourists rocked a gondola while singing at the top of their longues “Bye Bye Miss American Pie.” Unfortunately there was what looked like an older Italian couple hoping for a peaceful romantic evening in the gondola right next to them. The gondola workers are heroes for their ability to somehow balance not only those long and narrow boats but also to balance the vast diversity of clientele.9. My brother seminarians here at the NAC. Although this holiday season has been a challenge, being so far from family and friends, and having those interactions reduced to
a computer screen and computer speakers; it has been an absolute joy to be over here with the other seminarians. It has been a real joy to travel with many of them to new and exciting adventurous places; and it has been a real joy to grow into the temporary vocation of being a seminarian with these guys. I have been impressed by their faith and their dedication to serve the people of God. I have also been really impressed to hear them share their stories from their travels—and how instead of talking about fancy meals and luxurious hotels, they share stories of the interactions they had with the poor, religious communities, and with the people of the many different places they had visited. They share the joy of meeting people of other cultures and other religions. My brother seminarians are heroes for their dedication to serve and to learn from others.10. You. You, granted that you lived the spirit of Christmas, are a hero. Several years ago I read a phenomenal reflection on Christmas written by Thomas Merton in which he described the Incarnation as God entering humanity—in a universal way—in which all of humanity is graced with the living God and somehow elevated. And around the same time that I read this reflection I was reading the book The Holy Longing by Richard Rolheiser in which he describes the necessary Christian and Incarnational element of prayer in which we, through the help of the Holy Spirit, incarnate our prayers through our actions. That we not only pray for the sick, but physically visit them and spend time with them. So therefore when you made sacrifices and gave of yourself this past Christmas you, in some way, embraced and lived the Incarnation. You brought the light and the love of Christ to another person. And for that you are most definitely a hero.
