A Christian’s vocation to be a hero

If those men and women who work towards the betterment of fellow citizens are recognised as heroes, should not those who work for the kingdom of God and for the betterment of fellow citizens of the Promised Land be heroes, too? We are placed on this Earth to make the world a better place. By our contribution in bringing about justice and peace, creating a society of love and mercy, encouraging one another to be kind and sensitive towards one another’s struggles, we are called to be heroes. If Christians are called to be heroes, what qualities must we possess?

In a world that seeks fame, glory, and popularity, humility is an elusive quality in many. But humility makes a Christian an unsung hero because humility makes one selfless in caring for others and in attending to their needs without pomp and pageantry. This is what the Lord meant when He asked us ‘not to parade our good deeds, and not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing’. Unsung heroes do just that. In today’s social media world, these heroes remain hidden, not exposing their good deeds to be praised by others.

Compassion is another trait of unsung heroes. Unsung heroes are empathetic people. They give ear to the cries of the poor. They recognise their vocation to be the eyes of the Lord to see the broken body of our brother or sister needing our love and care. They become the ears of the Lord as they hear the cries of the poor in their agony and suffering. These heroes recognise that they are the hands of God to reach out and touch those wounds of our brothers and sisters and bring healing to them. They know their vocation to become the heart of God, to feel the loneliness and rejection of our brothers and sisters discarded and rejected as unproductive and burden to the society. Yes, they are the good Samaritans of today’s world. They hear the Master calling them to be merciful just as their heavenly Father is merciful to them. Humility deepens in them a need for introspection, to create an awareness of the blessing of God in one’s life and be willing to share it with others.

Single-minded devotion is another quality of unsung heroes. Unsung heroes are committed to becoming Christ, and it provides them the focus, the intensity, and determination that keeps them living, moving, and having their being in the Lord. They live, seeing the Lord face to face daily in their daily living, in every walk, in every event, in every circumstance of their life. They live intentionally and purposefully because they know ‘they are only the branches, and to live, they must remain attached to the Vine’. It is thus they find meaning in their life.

Can you be an unsung hero for the Lord?