How many of us have gone to the theater to enjoy a good movie? I think most of us go to relax and enjoy a good time, whether it is watching an action, horror, comedy, science fiction, superheroes, etc., movie. I confess that I like the movies a lot and I am fascinated by the superheroes movies. Superman is one of those heroes that I wanted to be when I was a child and that possibly some of you wanted to be as well. But the problem with the movies is that when the movie is over, life continues its course. Even though Superman may have saved the world, our life continues in the same form, with the same routine that sometimes is nonsensical.
A short while ago, we Christians, lived the Holy Week where we celebrated the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only true hero because with his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead he has saved all of us; in other words, he has saved the whole world. And although we have certainly seen many movies about the life of Jesus of Nazareth, we know and strongly belief that Jesus is not a character invented by a writer and also acted in a Hollywood movie, but he is a real person who loves us immensely. He protects us from our enemies as a shepherd protects his sheep from the wolf that wants to devour them, just as the Lord Jesus tells us: "I give my life for my sheep" (Jn. 10,14).
The Lord Jesus takes cares of us always and we should always follow him. In the same way Christ Jesus, by the immense love he has for us, sends the Holy Ghost and with this, we can obey the Lord through our love for him and for our brothers and sisters. Jesus says: "As the Father loves me, so I love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you this so that joy may be in you and your joy may be complete" (Jn. 15:9-11). That is why Christ is the true hero among heroes because he is not a selfish being who wants power only for himself, but he gives us his power, his strength so that we may follow his steps and make of this world a better one.
When a mother worries about her children, when a teacher prepares his lessons with care so that his students may learn, when a policeman ensures the safety of the citizens, and when a priest celebrates the Eucharist with love … then we are all heroes because we have in us the same Spirit of Christ. And when we manifest the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are true witnesses of the resurrection of the Lord. Not only did we live a week where something that seems fictional was narrated, but we commemorated the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. That is why St. Luke reminds us in his Gospel that we are witnesses of these things (Cf. Lk. 24,48). Let us live the resurrection of the Lord with immense joy and let him be the true and only hero among heroes.
Ramirez Velasquez is a seminarian for the Diocese of Rochester.
