Hērōes Abide

Abide in peace. 

The real treasure in life. 

HEROES and hērōes. 

St. John of the Cross wrote, “Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to His good pleasures and rest in Him.” To abide means to wait, to endure, to withstand, or to accept. So, we are encouraged to wait in peace, to endure in peace, to withstand in peace, and to accept in peace. It is then, we serve God and rest in him.  

The real treasures in life are rich relationships and service to others. Life offers us gifts of love and opportunity. Our family, friends, and neighbors are imperfect gifts to us, just as we are imperfect gifts to them. What makes these relationships rich gifts is our awareness of one another, our connection with one another, and our service to one another.  

There are two kinds of heroes. The classic HERO and the modern hērō. 

Classic HEROES battles dragons and bad guys. Modern hērō battles real-life struggles. We read about classic HEROES and their adventures, but we choose to be modern hērōes as we live our own adventures every day. HEROES inspire. Hērōes aspire. 

You and I are both living a real-life hērō’s journey. And on this journey, we face daily challenges and struggles. The adventure stories we live forge us. Through the fire, we become better versions of ourselves. Through the flames, we learn to better serve others.  

It may seem odd to think that we are to live hērōically. Most of us lead what feels like mundane or simple lives. But to those nearest to us, to those we love and serve, we are a treasure, as those nearest to us are our treasures. Ours is to nurture these rich relationships with our family, friends, and neighbors. To abide in peace, banish cares, and take no account of all that happens. To stay true to our call to love God and to love our neighbors and our “enemies.”  

How do you wish to live this hērō’s journey you’ve been given? I pray that each day we rise, we can aspire to abide in peace, in love, and in service. That we may know the real treasure in life. That we may see that today and every day is a great day to be a hērō.