Photo by United Methodist Communications. Used with permission.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “Who are your spiritual heroes?” is not a question we hear often. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the significant figures of faith—saints and luminaries ranging from St. Francis of Assisi to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Julian of Norwich to Mary Oliver—the kind of people whose spiritual lives touch and transform our own.
My hunch is that we’re living in an age that has forgotten its need for spiritual heroes—an age that needs their example and inspiration more than ever.
But why heroes? What do we mean by spiritual heroes, and why take the time to reflect on their lives? What does their past have to do with our present?
Let me suggest three good reasons.
1. Because we live in a world consumed by enemies.
It’s all we think about and all we talk about. The nightmare screens in our pockets glow and vibrate with the outrageous, unprecedented deeds of our enemies. The twenty-four-hour news cycle depends on it.
Like many of you, I’ve deleted most of the media apps from my phone and limited my access to the news—not because I’m indifferent, but because I find it nearly impossible to bounce my children on my knee or turn my heart to prayer when I’m trapped in a constant state of anger and dread.
Even without push notifications and the 6:00 news, I find—much to my shame—that I’m perfectly capable of obsessing over villains in my life and the actual or imagined slights done to me by those close to me.
Here’s what I know to be true: you will never become more moral by fixating on your enemies' sins. Inner peace and social justice are not achieved simply by knowing what is wrong. You must also know what is right. We need a positive moral vision—something good and beautiful, embodied not in abstract ideals, but in real human lives—lives we can study and emulate.
I have young children, and I’m constantly reminded how much of their learning is through imitation. They play by copying me and my spouse. They learn language by mimicking our words and rhythms. The more I reflect on it, the more I see that we never outgrow that mimetic instinct. We become like the people we surround ourselves with.
We’re even commanded to do so. St. Paul had the gall—or perhaps the wisdom—to say: “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” If we are shaped by those who loom large in our moral imagination, how much better to fill our hearts with heroes rather than villains?
2. Because heroes show us what is possible.
Spiritual heroes don’t live perfectly, but they live fully alive. If each of us is meant to be the light of the world, then spiritual heroes are those who shine a little farther, hold the light a little higher, so others might see the path more clearly or even discover it for the first time.
Consider the Roger Bannister Effect. For years, experts believed the four-minute mile was an unbreakable barrier. Then, in 1954, Bannister ran it in three minutes, fifty-nine seconds. The miracle wasn’t just physical—it was psychological. Once he proved it was possible, others followed quickly. Someone broke the record again just forty-six days later. And now, thousands have done the same.
Spiritual heroes do that for us. They make possible—and even desirable—what once seemed inconceivable.
It was common sense to believe loving your enemies was absurd until Jesus did it. In doing so, he forever changed the world. St. Francis shattered medieval ideas of wealth and dignity through holy poverty. St. John of the Cross transformed the agony of God’s absence into a doorway for grace. The Wesley brothers insisted that faith must be felt in the heart, not merely thought in the head. Teilhard de Chardin united evolutionary science with spiritual wonder. Oscar Romero gave his life to speak for the poor and oppressed. Each of them held up the light. And seeing it, millions followed.
Spiritual heroes do that for us. They make possible—and even desirable—what once seemed inconceivable.
3. Because heroes help us find one another.
This may be the greatest gift heroes give us: direction and companionship.
If you’ve read Dorothy Day, I know we’ll get along. If you were gutted by Rachel Held Evans’ passing; if Richard Rohr’s daily emails find you before your morning coffee; if you know what lectio divina is and can quote your Enneagram number, then we already share a common language.
Heroes create communities. Schools of thought. Movements of love. They give us shared touchpoints—anchors of belonging in a fractured world.
And right now, finding your people matters more than ever. We need one another. Unless you’re delighting in our era’s rising tide of political hostility and cultural chaos, you’re probably hungry for some comfort, some clarity, some hope.
It helps to remember that the great saints lived through times like ours—and often worse. It helps to see that ordinary saints still walk among us, keeping faith with beauty, truth, and goodness. The world may be mad, but there are still lights in the darkness. If I can follow even a little in their steps, maybe—just maybe—I can become one of those lights too.
That’s why we need spiritual heroes:
- Because our souls are oversaturated with villains.
- Because they show us that the impossible might be possible.
- Because they help us find one another—and build a community worth living in.
So, who are your spiritual heroes? Take some time to consider who shines brightest for you and how they’ve shaped your life and faith. Keep looking for the light, as we build a life-giving, grace-filled community together.
Michael Reed
Rev. Michael Reed is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and serves as Executive Director of Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization offering a faith-based response to climate change. He previously served as Associate Director of Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center, a United Methodist camping and retreat site. He was the founder and executive director of The Maker’s Place, a United Methodist family resource center in Trenton, New Jersey.