| Saturday, November 01, 2008 |
|
Faith Heroes
Posted @ 12:47 PM :: 635 Views ::
0 Comments
|
 |
The true saint goes in and out amongst the people and eats and sleeps with them and buys and sells in the market and marries and takes part in social intercourse, and never forgets God for a single moment.
- Abu Sa’id
In November, Christian traditions celebrate both All Saints Day and All Souls Day. All Saints Day acknowledges those men and women publicly recognized by the Church for lives lived in pursuit of holiness. These are the people with the big “St.” in front of their names. All Souls Day recognizes the everyday saints who have gone before us in faith – our loved ones, teachers, co-workers, teammates, church members, and so on.
So, what about the saints and heroes living here now? What about the saints-in-the-making? Aren’t there people among us whose lives of faith are worth noting today? We think so, and after reading about some of these everyday faith heroes, we think you’ll agree.
Note: Many of the faith heroes included in this feature are not Catholic, or even Christian. The lessons they teach us, however, call us to the best of Christian living. Enjoy!
Check back throughout November – new inspiration being added all month!
 Craig Kielburger
Founder, Free the Children
There’s nothing funny about it. In 1995, while looking for the comics section of the newspaper, Craig came across the story of a young Pakistani boy sold into slavery at age 4. What he learned about that young man and what he did in response to that story has changed countless lives.
 Amber Coffman
Founder, Happy Helpers For the Homeless
Who says book reports are pointless? In 1993, 10-yr-old Amber Coffman wrote a book report about Mother Teresa that changed her life forever.
 Judith Kaplan Eisenstein
First American Bat Mitzvah
No girls allowed! Until 1922 anyway. On March 18, 1922, Judith Kaplan became the first American girl to celebrate her bat mitzvah, or coming of age in the Jewish faith. In doing this, she opened the door for women to have equal standing to men in Jewish faith and society.
 Maximillian Kolbe
Franciscan Priest, Holocaust Martyr
Ever wish you could trade places with somebody else? Wish you had someone else’s life? What would you do with it? Max Kolbe knew what to do with his.
 Tahmeena Faryal
Women’s Rights Activist
Standing up for the invisible women. Tahmeena Faryal was born in Kabul, Afghanistan where society taught her that women should be invisible. Tahmeena didn’t listen. Today, she puts her life on the line to make the invisible, visible.
 Liviu Librescu
Professor, Holocaust Survivor
Whoever saves one life saves the world entire. (Talmud). On April 16, 2006, Liviu Librescu literally saved the world for 15 students at Virginia Tech.
 Eboo Patel
Founder, Interfaith Youth Core
What happens in the lunchroom doesn’t always stay in the lunchroom. Sometimes it lingers in the mind and the heart. And sometimes it launches a movement. Found out what’s moving at Eboo’s Interfaith Youth Core.
 Millard & Linda Fuller
Founders, Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing
What do you do when having it all isn’t enough? Give it away. Millard Fuller was a millionaire by the age of 29, and he was miserable. So he sold every possession he had and started building a different kind of wealth.
 Eva and Miriam Moses
Holocaust Survivors
There is a famous picture that was taken at the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp of Nazi Germany. In it are two girls, twins, walking hand-in-hand leading a group of children out of the camp. Their names were Eva and Miriam. Sometimes being a hero is as simple as living and letting go.
 Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix
Forgiveness Advocates
In January 1995, Ples Felix saw a news report that chilled him to the bone. A pizza delivery employee had been shot in their San Diego neighborhood. Across town, Azim Khamisa felt as if a bomb had exploded in his heart. The police informed him that his son, Tariq, had been killed. What these two men have in common is the stuff nightmares are made of. What they’ve done about it is legendary. |
|
|
|
|