Monday, September 17, 2007

Be careful who you offend . . .

Growing up, I always adored those King Arthur type movies. One of my favorite parts in these movie classics is when the King is disguised as an ordinary person, and then some dispute or battle ensues, only to have the King suddenly reveal himself for who he truly is.

Along these lines, I want to "lift up" a few of these exemplars, who, like King Arthur would NEVER have been recognized until MUCH LATER.

* As a young man, this Catholic literally worked as a garbage man. Today he is the Chair of the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame

* As a young soldier, this other Catholic was "AWOL" from the German (Nazi) Army, only to be captured by American Forces and held as a POW for 6 months. Today, this man is known as Pope Benedict XVI

* As a young naval aviator, this man was downed by Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire and spent 5 and 1/2 years in prison as a POW in Hanoi, Vietnam. Today, this man is Senator John McCain who is currently running for President and a long-time voice of reason and judicial restraint in the Senate

* As a young clergy, this man was an unknown. Rather than just serving a parish, he instead went on to study theology, eventually earning his doctorate. This young, unknown clergyman we now know as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who knows who you will 'run into.' This past April, I attended a high-profile academic conference, and when at a cocktail party I almost bumped into this short Italian-looking man. His name is Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and he was the key-note speaker of the conference!

Blessings in Jesus,
Rob J. King

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