Heaven's Heroes

A hero in the early Church usually meant that someone stood up for belief in Christ, and therefore was martyred for that belief in a painful death--what does it mean today, more importantly what will it mean in the future?

It means the same thing today and tomorrow. It means seeking God and the salvation of one's soul. Dante wrote in his opening sentence in his trilogy, "The Burning Inferno," about himself, " I awoke in the middle of life in a dark forest." For Dante, seeking God and seeking his salvation was his singular devotion.

For to believe in God gives us a cause, and a reason why we are here. Do bad things happen to good people? Yes. Are there evils in the world? Yes. Which is why the belief in God is all the more important.

Atheists would have have you believe otherwise--I prefer to that term as underwise. Atheism is a bad bet. There are no winners in atheism. Even the devil believes in the existence of God. Look around if you think there is no devil. The apostles lived and died in the state of existence of God--they held the test of knowing--which ended in martyrdom, except for John who was dipped in a pot of boiling oil. Their courage was sprung from knowing. Thomas said he needed to see Jesus,and put his fingers in Jesus' wounds before he believed.

There is the test of knowing, and the test of believing. I'm okay with the test of believing.

God uses all things to a good. He makes things right. It does take faith, patience, and the will. He turns bad things to a good, maybe you will not see it clearly, but through faith, your trouble, your fight, your bad turn can bring salvation to some poor soul that you never knew.

A troubled teenager may contemplate ending their life. Maybe they have been bullied. Maybe they made bad choices. God can still find a good. Perhaps your bad turn--brought you to that person in need.

You can save a life. Perhaps that life you saved turned out to be a senator, a fire fighter, a person who then can save others. It takes faith and endurance. Loving God and seeking one's salvation can lead to things you never thought possible. So repent and believe in the Gospel. God bless.