5 January 2022
Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop
The movie houses are replete with stories taken from the pages of Marvel Comics. Superheroes who are unrealistic, doing unrealistic things in unrealistic situations. Not wanting to play the role of an amateur psychologist, it does seem that there is a high probability that the formation of children perhaps could benefit from a greater contact with reality. Now, this is not to say that reality is either boring or lacking in the spectacular. Who needs to be nourished on the silly stories of radioactive spider bites giving arachnid powers to humans when you can read the lives of Catholic Saints? The story of today’s saint, John Neuman would provide enough text for any action move plot. A bookish young man (Raiders of the Lost Arc?) defies the challenges of tumult of 19th century Europe, trains for the priesthood and then sails for America nearly getting hit by an iceberg (Titanic?) He later joins the Redemptorists Congregation and establishes schools and becomes the Bishop of Philadelphia supporting the cause of immigrants against the established higher classes (Gangs of New York?). Who needs fiction when you can turn to the annals of the Catholic Church in this country? Perhaps we all need to hear the real stories of real people who faced real challenges and responded in a heroic way. We may never achieve the success of Elezabeth Ann Seaton or John Neumann, but at least we have in these saints a realistic model for our better desires.