November 11, 2003

With the exception of puppies in pet shop windows, nothing stops traffic like celebrities. Most celebrity fades as fickle taste moves on. Around A.D. 66, when St. Jude was writing his letter and St. Paul was being beheaded, the Greek historian Plutarch wrote his Parallel Lives comparing famous Greeks with Roman celebrities. Few of us today would recognize most of the stars he wrote about: Agesilaus, Pelopidas, Philopoemen, Sertorius, Aemilius Paulus, and so on. The crowds that flocked to see Flaminius and Poplicola would have passed St. Peter and St. Paul on the street with nary a glance. None of them had the slightest idea who Jesus was, but everyone knew Lucullus and Sulla. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Emily Balch, Fridtjof Nansen and Bertha von Suttner, but I doubt Oprah Winfrey would recognize any of them.

Last Sunday the Holy Father beatified Juan Nepomuceno Zegri y Moreno (1831-1905) of Granada, Bonifacia Rodriguez Castro (1837-1905) of Salamanca, Valentin Paquay (1828-1905) of Belgium, Luigi Maria Monti (1825-1900) of Italy, and Rosalie Rendu (1786-1856) of France. Even most Catholics know less about them than they do about some of the names in the gossip columns of our city's tabloids.

The saints have the advantage of a celebrity given by God and not by men, and so they do not fade like film "stars." I recently was astonished that not one of half a dozen of our bright young parishioners had ever heard of Greer Garson, who in the early 1940s was "one of the most famous women in the world." On the other hand, I knew little about some of the Hollywood actors who were in our parish this past week making a film for Paramount Pictures. I admit that I knew more about some of Plutarch's celebrities than about the very pleasant Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington. May they prosper.

Celebrities can use their fame to promote much good. But people can be disappointed in falling stars. "Say it ain't so, Joe." A few people committed suicide when Rudolph Valentino was buried from St. Malachy's Church, but they've stopped doing that now. All alone in his last exile, Napoleon was amazed that after 1800 years Jesus still had people dying for him. The fame of Jesus was not given to him. He sheds his light on others: "You have not chosen me. I have chosen you" (John 15:16). The only lasting stars are those who have their radiance from "the Father of Lights" (James 1:17). The calendar of saints is the charter of the one reliable fan club. So in this month of the saints and holy souls, the Church sings:

Who are these, like stars appearing,
These before God's throne who stand?
Each a golden crown is wearing;
Who are all this glorious band?
Alleluia, hark! They sing,
Praising loud their heavenly King.