Where are the Models of Virtue and Sacrifice?

Could it be that the absence of moral and noble role models in the modern world leads to young adults who feel they are “owed a good life without effort”? Some sociologist will have to take up that question.

But I think it’s safe to say that our children begin looking for role models, beyond the example of their parents, as they enter the “tween years.” And the glorified images they see in the media today are less than wholesome. There are images of arrested athletes who are quickly excused so they can play in the next game. Or movie stars who perform in heroic scenes but are drunken playboys off screen.

These may be models of sin and the need for redemption, but they don’t offer images of virtue and sacrifice.

So, it is with great joy that we should celebrate the news that Pope John Paul II will be beatified in May! He is a true modern hero.


My son, Peter, started a yearlong project last fall to study this pope for a special project of his own. This project has given our entire family an opportunity to learn more about Karol Wojtyla.

Pope John Paul had a beautiful way of communicating. He would take what someone else said, or a belief held by many, and find some kernel of truth in it. Then he would move to the big Truth and the Light that needed to be understood in that situation. It was a non-confrontational way to say, “Yes there is an Absolute Truth we can point to. And Truth is not open to compromise.”

Truth is a beautiful thing to discover! Pope John Paul expressed love AND strength. He was an athlete, a poet and a man of prayer. And for me, his willingness to sacrifice and give of himself, makes him a perfect role model for our youth. As the disease of Parkinsons began to ravage his body, he refused to hide. Instead, he allowed the world to see his suffering and his great effort to persevere on behalf of Truth and worldwide healing.

As Peter researched the life of the Pope, he came across a much lesser known hero.

A Catholic Who Volunteered to Enter Auschwitz

A contact in Poland shared the story with us of Witold Pilecki. He was a young member of the Polish Army in 1939. Pilecki went into hiding after the Nazis took over his country.

Pilecki came up with a plan to assist his homeland. He wanted to make a firsthand record of the atrocities happening at Auschwitz in order to get more support from the Allies. So he allowed himself to be arrested. He was tortured for two days and then sent to Auschwitz. While in the camp he organized the prisoners and distributed the few supplies available. When the Nazis learned that he was plotting a massive escape plan, Pilecki was forced to escape with only one other prisoner. After that he assisted in the uprising in Warsaw and disrupted Nazi supply lines.

In 1945 he was recognized as a hero of World War II, the “Volunteer for Auschwitz.” But shortly afterward, he was arrested by the new communist government and tortured. He was labeled an “enemy of the state—an imperialist spy” and was shot in the back of the head. His heroic story was buried by the government and his name could not be spoken for the next forty years. It wasn’t until Pope John Paul inspired the nonviolent overthrow of communism in Poland, that the Pilecki story was uncovered in 1989.

These are stories of two Catholic men who exemplify faith, courage and sacrifice.

Journalist Michal Tyrpa has hopes that Hollywood will make a movie about Pilecki. Meanwhile he has put together a website called "Let's Reminisce About Witold Pilecki" ("Przypomnijmy o Rotmistrzu") and has written a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking that a case be opened to consider Pilecki for sainthood. For more information on that story visit www.witoldsreport.blogspot.com

Pope John Paul, pray for our families. Pray that our young people, who you cherished, will be inspired by stories of faith. Help them to rise above the temptations of the world. Help them to live with fortitude, Grace and virtue, as you did.

Glad Tidings of Comfort and More...

This holy season always seems to have two sides…the joyful celebration of our Savior’s Incarnation…and the darkness of the season. There are tragedies and hardships all around us…death, grief and sickness. We struggle to see the Light at times.

I thought about this when we lost beloved pets during Advent. And then the kids got sick just before Christmas. It has been something like this…

One child begs for another popsicle to ease her burning throat. She let the last one melt into a puddle. Meanwhile, the other child sits at the counter, coughing. He is staring at the stack of books he is supposed to be reading during this break from school. But he can't seem to turn the page. His eyes are glazed over. We call this Day Five of the Sickness.

My writing projects are on hold. Today I am not a Working Writer. I am Nurse, Nag and Comforter. "Please drink your water. You'll feel better tomorrow. Time to take your medicine. Go to bed now." The phrases are repeated over and over. I feel my mind turning into Sickness Soup--no longer creative or focused. I am not aware of anything but the demands of the moment.

These kind of days remind me that I (that's the Big I of ego) am not in charge. God is in charge of this world and my life. He holds the bigger vision. He knows what can be learned from these days set apart from the usual routine. He can truly heal all of us.

The roles of Nurse, Nag and Comforter are perfected in the example of the Holy Family, who set the model for our parenting roles.
• Nurse--God promised to heal the nation of Israel--"I will restore you to health and heal your wounds." (Jer. 30:17) And then He sent a Savior and Redeemer for the entire world.
• Nag—The angel came to Joseph again. Now he had a brand new family and he was hoping to return to their home and his regular work. But instead he was told to flee into a foreign land. He did as he was instructed. And Mary did not argue. She did as she was instructed. When Jesus grew into boyhood and was missing, His parents scolded Him and Jesus promised obedience.
• Comforter--The Psalms are filled with references to the Comfort we will find in God's arms. And our Christmas carols announce Glad Tidings of Comfort and Joy. In spite of hardships, the image we have of the Holy Family is one of peace. They gave each other support.

I am glad to have the opportunity to experience these roles of Nurse, Nag and Comforter. We are perfected during times of stress.

Dear Lord, please be with me as I go about the roles you have ordained for me today. Help me to learn the lessons of the Days of Sickness.

The Handmaid’s Story

St. Bernard once wrote a homily as if he were talking to Mary who had just heard from the angel Gabriel. The gospel says, “Mary was greatly troubled by his words (of praise for her.)” Here is my version…

Dearest Mary,
I understand you’ve been visited by an angel whose message is quite unsettling. I can imagine so! You are being asked to step into the unknown and face great hardships. With the message you have just received, your future is suddenly shrouded in mystery. You must already sense the intensity that is to come…as if stepping into a fire.

But please say “yes” to this next part of your life…It means saying “yes” on behalf of the whole world. Your “yes” must certainly inspire any woman who is uncertain about becoming a mother. You are young. Your baby will be born in a stable and then you will be fleeing persecution. Suddenly homeless and hiding in a foreign land…these are not easy things for a new mother. And yet those are only the first of the many trials awaiting you.

But your “yes” means a new beginning for all of life. So much depends on you. Thank you for being willing to step forward into the darkness of the unknown in order to bring Light into the world.

I, too, am a mother. so I understand a tiny bit of the unknowns you face. When I realized I was pregnant, I was worried about the future. These are hard times for children and for marriages. The pressures on the family are intense. And I had no idea back then that motherhood is so hard!

After my children started school, I thought I had it “all figured out” about how to be a mother! The tantrums had stopped and the children started to be successful in many things. I’m with them a lot and we have tried to pass on a strong faith. Yet, they are still tempted by worldly glitter. How do I help them resist the temptations of the world as they become more independent? How do I help them walk on the narrow path when all around them there is immodesty, self-gratification and self-absorption?

I’d like to know that it will all turn out all right. I’d like to see into the future to be sure my actions lead to good outcomes. But that is one of the lessons from your “yes” isn’t it? You gave your life to God as a servant, a “handmaid.” It means surrendering the ego while acting according to the guidance you receive. It means rusting in your Son who promised to stay with us.

Do you think if I made more room for Him in my heart, I might feel His guiding presence, too? Here’s what I’m thinking…if you say “yes” to the angel, in order to bring salvation into the world, I should be able to say “yes” to more humility, more trust and more prayer.

To give birth means letting a new life come through our bodies. It is awe-inspiring to participate in such a venture. I rejoice with you in this miracle.

Ah! I hear your “yes” now. It echoes through the ages. Did you grow in courage and wisdom with that one tiny word? I can almost see it in your face. You are accepting and embracing all that is to come…there will be wonders and wounds, joys and trials. Let it all come as it will. This journey is in God’s hands.

“I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to thy Word.”