Heroes & Villains

My favorite show on television premieres tonight. Heroes. I really love this show.

While the special powers that each of the characters has is fantasy, the choices they make are real. They have these amazing gifts, but how will they use them? I think this is the part that makes it real for me, choices. We all have them. Each of us, especially Catholics, have been given gifts that we did not merit. What defines us as people of God is how we choose to use those gifts.

Lately we have seen these choices in stark contrast, sort of like the black and white used in a comic book. We have seen Catholics, gifted with the grace of Baptism and the blessings of belonging to a church that contains the fullness of truth take different roads. We have seen some with that grace and God’s gifts choose to be heroes by standing up for life. Egan, Chaput, Burke, Pavone, and all the Bishops who have stood up in recent weeks to make clear the Church’s unwavering defense of life. The people are heroes.

We have seen others that have chosen to use their gifts to confuse and divide in their effort to gain and maintain power. Power for themselves. These people are …