Expecting Heroes

Living in Southeast Pennsylvania all of my life, natural disasters are few and far between. I can’t even fathom what the people in Texas and Florida are living through and will be facing in the weeks, months, and years to come. Amidst the anguish and devastation covered in the news, I am always grateful for the stories of unexpected heroism that unfailingly emerge. When the situation can’t be worse, it seems that so many find the best in themselves and choose to sacrifice for others. As I read tale after tale of these everyday women and men, I wondered why do these stories seem so unexpected to me? In my life and leadership, am I expectant of heroes? If I chose to see someone as the next great hero or maybe even a future saint, how might it lead me to treat them differently? Perhaps I am placing the same constraints on others as I am on God – limiting His love to the capacity of my own.　 Fortunately, the Lord has blessed Houston and the dioceses of Florida with so many exceptional clergy and lay leaders who we have been blessed to serve. Thank you for the way you have and will give witness to God’s unceasing love in this moment of challenge.