Hidden Heroes

What does it take to become a hero? When we think of our heroes, the people who often come to mind are those who have power, fame, and popularity. They may appear on the headlines or speak at large events or have written several books. We may listen to their podcasts every week or follow them on Twitter. Some of these people truly have heroic qualities, but how did they get there? By personal achievement, hard work, and connections, for sure, but more than likely, there is the quiet presence of a faithful supporter backing them up: a hidden hero.

Three “hidden heroes” come to mind: a Biblical one, fictional one, and recent historical one. Each of these people was faithful to his specific vocation and ended up influencing some of the most well-known and well-loved characters in history. We tend to focus on the big names, but let’s not forget the ones who made them big.

The first one is Andrew, one of Jesus’ first disciples, and Peter’s brother. We don’t know much about Andrew, except that he was one of the first men to drop everything and follow Jesus and that he introduced Peter to Jesus. John tells us that Andrew “found his brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’.” He brought his brother to Jesus, who renamed Simon “Peter”, meaning “rock” (John 1:35-42). Peter would become the rock on which Christ founded His Church. He was by no means perfect and was often a big fool, but Christ used his weaknesses to accomplish His purpose of building His Church. Today, Peter is one of the Biblical names that most people recognize and know, and yet he became who he was because of his brother Andrew bringing him to Jesus. Who can you bring to Jesus today?

The second hidden hero is found in the beloved Lord of the Rings series: Samwise Gamgee. Without Sam, Frodo would have never made it to Mount Doom. Sam remained his faithful friend, even when Frodo treated him poorly. Right before climbing Mt. Doom, Sam encourages Frodo, ‘Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get!…. Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he’ll go.’ Yes, Frodo was given the mission of carrying and eventually destroying the ring of power, but if you’ve read the books, you will remember that Frodo, in a way, failed in his mission. At the very end, at Mount Doom, Frodo does exactly the opposite of he is supposed to do: he claims the Ring for himself. Gollum ends up snatching the ring and falling backwards into the fiery chasm. So the mission is accomplished, in a roundabout way. But not without the faithfulness and loyalty of Samwise Gamgee. Who can you encourage in your life today to complete their mission?

The last hidden hero is one who I recently have discovered: Jan Tyranowski. He was a tailor in Poland during the early 20th century. He was shy and reserved and is not well-known today. However, through his faithful prayer life and leadership initiatives, he ended up becoming the mentor of a very influential man of the 20th and 21st centuries: St. John Paul II. JPII’s main message was to remind the Church of its central mission: the proclamation of Jesus Christ to the world. In his teachings, he emphasized the importance of family and authentic sexuality. He started World Youth Day, a massive gathering for young people to encounter Christ. And he was a key figure in the fall of communism. Most people have heard of JPII, but most have never heard of the man who encouraged him to greatness: the hidden hero of Jan Tyranowski. Who can you mentor and disciple today to encourage them to live to their fullest potential?

These three “hidden heroes” have three main characteristics in common: faithfulness in the small things, courage to do what is right in the face of injustice, and humility to accept one’s vocation and live it out. What is your mission right now? It may seem small in the moment, but faithfulness in the small things will eventually move mountains. You may never see the result of your impact, but know that if you live out your own mission with faithfulness, courage, and humility, the world will change for the better.

 

 

 

Waiting in the Darkness

‘Tis the season of waiting… Advent is short this year, which is unfortunate because the longevity of a month increases the anticipation of Christmas. But what can we do? It is what it is, and we still have time to enter into the longing. As most people are scurrying around finishing up last-minute shopping and decorating their houses, we as the children of Christ, are called to wait for the advent (“coming”) of Christ. Of course, we probably have last-minute shopping as well (I know I do!), but we have the greater call of preparing our hearts for the greatest gift of all.

Personally, this Advent has been the most significant one for me yet. It’s the first time in these days leading up to Christmas that I’ve truly longed for Christ. As many of you know, I’ve been through the hardest three months of my life. I’ve experienced heartbreak and loss in a way I never have before. Though it’s been difficult, God  has been faithful. He has continually asked me, “Randi, do you still love me, even in the pain?”. And I’ve had to work hard to say “yes”. I’ve never had to work so hard to find joy before. If you know me, I’m a pretty happy person most of the time! But what I’ve found is an even deeper joy-a joy that remains even in the darkness. That’s the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends upon external circumstances, but joy endures through all trials. Joy is knowing that I am the Beloved of Christ, redeemed by His blood and given new life. I am part of the best Story ever told.

So as Mary waited for the Son of God to be born, may we wait with her. As she waited, the Mystery of God was incubating in the depths of her womb. God was slowly forming beauty in the darkness that would soon unfold in the light. Mary had said “yes” to God’s plan of salvation, even though she did not know the pain and suffering that would follow her the rest of her life. But what she did know was that God was faithful and would bring beauty out of any pain. So she waited in her pregnancy, knowing that this Mystery inside of her would bring healing to the world.

What are you waiting for? Have you found it difficult to be patient? Patient comes from the Latin word patior which means “to suffer”. Henri Nouwen says that,

“Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants.”

God is allowing you to wait because He is creating something beautiful that requires time and patience. Allow God to enter into your darkness this season. Anticipate the joy that will arrive Christmas day, the joy that can only come through knowing that you are Christ’s Beloved. He came to this earth as a babe to save you and to bring you into His love.

Practical challenge: Unplug for 20 minutes today and sit in silence. Forget your to-do lists and contemplate on the love and joy found in Christ.

The image I used is of Mary and Elizabeth at the Visitation. Here, Mary with the Christchild has run in haste to greet Elizabeth with John the Baptist. It is an image of Christ running to us, calling us to Him, saying to us,

“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!”

(Song of Songs 2: 10-13)

 

What could I possibly give?

Do you feel as if you’re never enough? Maybe you are a mother and are constantly being bombarded by your children’s needs and you feel like a failure at the end of each day. Or maybe you’re a father and can’t provide for your family financially or spiritually. Or perhaps you are single and all of your friends are getting married and you feel undesirable-like you aren’t enough for anyone.

We were created to be self-donators, to give our whole selves away to something worthy enough. But we often come up short. How can we give what we do not have?

Pope Francis declared this year the Year of Mercy, and as it is coming to an end, we were encouraged to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day until today’s feast day-the Solemnity of Christ the King. I was praying this morning and kept stumbling over these words: “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world”. As I said the words, I kept thinking, “How can I offer God His own Son? What does it mean? Jesus has already offered Himself and how could I possibly offer Him again? I have nothing to give!”

Then I read this reflection in today’s Magnificat by our dearly beloved Saint Augustine:

Christ is our King

                      See if you have anything you may offer, and you will find you have nothing. God does not want your rams nor your goats nor your bulls. All things are His, whether you offer them or not. Offer Him therefore a clean oblation.

                       But you are a sinner, you are impious, your conscience is defiled. Made clean, you may perhaps offer something clean; but to make you clean, something has to be offered for you. What therefore will you offer for yourself, so as to be made clean? If you are made clean, you can offer what is clean. Therefore let the Unstained Priest offer Himself, and let Him make you clean.

                       This Christ did. He found nothing that was clean in man, that He could offer for men; and so He offered HImself, an immaculate Victim. O blessed Victim, true Victim, immaculate Host! He did not therefore offer what we gave Him; rather, He offered what He took form us, and offered it immaculate. For He took flesh from us; and this He offered.

                       Where did He take it? From the womb of the Virgin Mary-that He might offer what was without stain for those who were unclean. He is our King; He is our Priest. Let us rejoice in Him.

So, what can we offer? We can offer what has been given to us: new life through our Savior Jesus Christ. But first, we have to receive it. So friends, what has Christ offered you that you are neglecting to receive? Is it His unconditional love that you are failing to recognize as the answer to your insecurities of being accepted? Is it His promise of provision that you fail to trust because it seems as if everything is falling through? Is it His healing and cleansing that you are pushing away because you think you are too dirty to be cleaned?

Whatever Christ is trying to give you at this very moment, know that it is a good gift. Our God only gives good gifts because He Himself is Goodness. Open your hands and receive the gift. Only then can we offer something back to God: Christ in us. You see, when we allow Christ to bond us to Himself, we participate in His life and therefore in His offering to the Father. What an incredible privilege!

Stop trying so hard to be enough. Christ has already declared us enough! Not by what we have done but by who He is. Empty your hands, receive the gift of love and mercy, and give it back to God. Then, and only then, will you discover that God sees you through the lens of the sacrifice of His Son: perfect, without stain, completely and wholly loved.

Conversion of the Heart

We are all called to become a better version of ourselves. If anyone is satisfied with who they are today, they only have to dig deeper to see that there is much work to do. But there is purpose in the work if the end goal is worth the struggle. So what is your end goal? Who do you want to become?

Today, it doesn’t really matter who you become…or what you do…or watch…or eat…or marry…It’s a “you-do-you” society with everyone as their own measuring stick. So your end goal looks different than your best friend or spouse’s end goal. That makes sense, though, right? I mean, we’re all unique and have different aspirations and talents. Sure we do, but we are also all human.

So then, we must ask the question: what does it mean to be human? What makes us different than our pet dogs? Reason, for one. We may shovel food into our mouths like dogs, but we know what food is good for us and what is not (whether we adhere to our knowledge or not is a different problem). We also are worshippers. Of something. Or someone. It doesn’t matter if you call yourself religious or not; you worship something in your life, whether it be success or money or family. If being human is to have reason and to worship, then how do we become fully human? How do we live the best life possible?

It starts with a conversion of the heart. We must admit that although we are beautiful, we are broken and in need of repair. Look at our world: it has gorgeous mountains and the prettiest flowers but also is full of envy, murder, abuse, and hate. It’s messed up because people decided to be their own measuring sticks; they decided that they knew what was best for themselves and for the world. So the first step is admitting we are capable of messing up.

But we must have something to convert, or change, to. And that is the question with which we must all wrestle. What mold are you trying to fit? Who are you trying to become?

As for me, I want to become like the best Person who ever lived. I want to love like He did and be willing to take risks for the Truth like He did. I want to always put others first. I want to accept grace and give it generously. I don’t want to live an easy life; I want to live a good life, one that is full of grace. And so, my conversion of the heart is a change towards becoming like Jesus Christ, the One who gave His life for me so that I may have life and life to the full (John 10:10).

Are you willing to be changed into a better version of yourself? Who will you become?

Being Single

Is a gift. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Sometimes I bang my head against a plank and say that to myself a bazillion times (Monty Python reference). When I go on Facebook, it seems like every single one of my friends is either getting married or having a baby. Now let’s remind ourselves that this is mostly in the Christian world because marriage is still important…I could write a whole ‘nother blog (or 30) on the state of marriage in today’s culture but that isn’t the focus of today’s blog. So as a result of all this oooohing and ahhhhing over babies and gorgeous wedding dresses, I find myself in FOMO world…Fear of Missing Out. I’m convinced it’s one of the top 10 diseases in the U.S. right now…and I definitely have symptoms. I ask myself, “Am I enough without having a man by my side?” or “Why isn’t anyone pursuing me?” or “Am I called to be celibate?”. I hope you single friends can relate. Being single is HARD. BUT…I’ve been talking a lot to my married friends and apparently…marriage is HARD too. I think the bottom line is this: we are each called to specific roles at specific times and we need to give our all to who is present in our lives right now.

This week, I have experienced the beauty of singleness and seen the beauty of marriage as well. I’m currently in San Francisco (which is a great city-go and visit!). I came to California for a wedding and then decided to stay and explore a bit. The wedding was beautiful…but my heart was not in the right place. I was jealous. How can one of my good friends find a man so perfect for her and in love with her while I’ve only been on 2 dates total?? Ugh… I was pretty disgusted with myself. However, I took advantage of my singleness and traveled to San Francisco right away. And this week, I’ve experienced the blessings of singleness:

• spontaneously finding a place to stay Monday night for one independent woman
• my own spontaneous agenda every day
• biking all around the city at my own speed
• getting to meet strangers (homeless people, regular customers at cafes, other tourists)
• being flexible with my plans
• spontaneously hanging out with my cousin George and his friends

Nevertheless, the most fulfilling part of this week has been being able to serve my host family and observe them in action. I knew of them because we have a lot of the same connections in Philadelphia, and they have invited me into their family life this week. I’ve seen the cuddles and fights, heard the whining and begging, and stepped in cat’s puke this morning. But more importantly, I’ve been able to watch the parents love their children with a love greater than themselves. The father works hard to support his family, and when he’s home, he gives his wife and kids all his attention. The mother spends all of her energy addressing every issue, treating every wound, settling every argument, feeding every mouth, and listening to every child. This family is awesome, and I hope to raise my kids like this someday. But it’s not easy, and I’ve found myself being grateful for the time I have as a single person. In fact, the reason I started this blog today was because I knew the mother of three had an article to write for tomorrow and if she can raise three kids and still write, I can certainly make time to write!

Our time is precious, but it’s not our time; it’s God’s. After much excitement the last couple days, I decided to take an easy day today. I ate breakfast at a local cafe, listened to an older woman talk for an hour, strolled along the beach, and read at the library. I had planned on doing three of those things, but I definitely had not planned on listening to an older Korean woman tell me her thoughts on marriage and the Osbournes and her Chinese boyfriend. But you know what? Giving up my time for her was worth it. I got the chance to tell her she was beautiful and deserved a man who would appreciate her and respect her. Maybe no one has told her that before!

After the library, I ended up heading back to the house much earlier than I thought. Why? I wanted to be with the family. I wanted to help out where I could and hope to ease some stress off the mother’s shoulders. So I went home and did exactly that. I played with the baby, set the table, and did the dishes. I tell you this not to brag, but to show that our life is not our own. We were meant to give ourselves away.

Let me repeat that: we were meant to give ourselves away. And guess what? Being single, we have more time and energy to be able to do that for others! So, if you are in your 20’s and 30’s and watching Netflix every night and hooking up with strangers every weekend, STOP IT. You’re not becoming a better person, and you are worth way more than that. Go find someone to listen to or buy a homeless person a burger and talk with them. Get involved with a local ministry. And believe me, you DO have time.

I am single but I am still a complete person. I just get to pour myself out to more people.

 

First Words

Hi! Welcome to my blog! Here, I hope to give you a taste of my thoughts, recipe and craft ideas, and recommendations for traveling…and probably more inspirations as I think of them…such as links to amazing talks or videos.

I’ve been meaning to blog for a long time, but I’ve hesitated for 3 reasons:

1) I didn’t know where to start! I’ve journaled for over 12 years, cooked lots of yummy food, traveled to lots of places, but it was overwhelming to think about whether to backtrack or just start from the present.

2) I’m a bit fearful of judgment. Yep, I admitted it.

3) There are already SO MANY blogs out there! Why would mine be any better?

4) I have better things to do…

And as I’ve been thinking about it (for the past 3 years), I concluded that…

1) Why not start where I am and reach back into the past when necessary?

2) Aren’t we all fearful of others’ opinions? Just some of us more than others. And exposing my thoughts is one way of overcoming that fear.

3) Sure, tons of people blog about the same things…but isn’t that the beauty of it? It shows that we, as the Imago Dei (Image of God), desire and yearn and are inspired by similar things. And we each have our own web of connections so hopefully my blog will be read by my circle of friends and family.

4) Yes, my life is full. And I’m about to start grad school. Even more a reason to start a blog where I can share my thoughts because I’ll be learning SO much!

 

So here we go, friends! Thanks for reading J