In the last post that I had put on this website I was talking in that entry about awards and, in particular, MVP, most valuable player. That was taken from Episode 80 of my weekly show and in that interview my guest, Fr. Michael Lightner, proceeded to make a reference to St. John Vianney.
Someone who listened to that interview emailed me and was saying what they knew of that particular saint. The thing is, the gospel writers have gained widespread notoriety, but there are countless other saints that don't get anywhere near the same level of attention.
I'm reminded of when I worked in the National Hockey League and the team that I worked for, one of the end of season awards that the team gave out was Unsung Hero. It was a player who didn't get quite the attention as some of the others but still was worthy of recognition for his hard work and his contributions to the team.
And isn't that how we should be living as Catholic Christians, striving for holiness but doing so with humility and NOT trying to get all the attention for ourselves? Instead we need to be turning the attention of others up to our Heavenly Father, not to ourselves. It's not about us, it's about Him.
There's something to be said for following the path of those people that became saints yet are unsung heroes in the Kingdom.
Bruce Wawrzyniak is the host and creator of "Catholic Sports Radio," a weekly podcast that helps listeners find the right balance and priority when it comes to their faith life versus their sports life. Interviews are done with guests who are Catholics in sports -- current or former athletes, coaches, referees/umpires, clergy, administrators, and more from the pro, amateur, and scholastic ranks. The show can be heard at www.CatholicSportsRadio.net or via links there for most podcast apps/platforms.