Lately, we’ve been reading about Nicholas of Myra aka Saint Nicholas. And at this point in the reading, I’m struck by all the similarities that exist between Bruce Wayne and Nicholas of Myra. So here is a brief – if timely – meditation because this time of year the air is rank with thick materialism [quick, grab a breathing regulator from my bat belt, Robin!]
Both lost parents at young age and as a result vowed to devote their lives to good …
Both battled the forces of evil [Nicholas purportedly had to be restrained at the council of Nicaea after literally slapping Arius in the face … I love it!] …
Both spent their lives helping the victimized and helpless …
Both went off for a time of training …
Both were unjustly imprisoned …
Both sought to do much of their ‘ministry’ in anonymity and often at night …
But the one big difference was this [well, okay besides one actually being a real person and the other a comic book character] – after his parents died, the young Nicholas started off by giving away his inheritance. He served the poor as a poor minister himself. This is often what you’ll find in Church history, formalized a millennium later by the medieval Christian vow of poverty …
He didn’t conduct his good deeds while secretly owning majority shares in a multi-billion dollar international technology corporation that could equip him with bleeding-edge tools and weapons. He had no safety net but the arms of His Good Shepherd. And that is the real difference. Nicholas had faith, not fortune. At the bottom of it all, we have rugged self-reliance and independent means, deep pockets VS faith. And that is why Nicholas is truly a hero while Bruce Wayne is a cartoon character who does hero-ish things while dressed in a silly-looking body suit disguised as a flying rodent.
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