It seems to me that antiheroes, unapologetic of their flaws, have replaced the heroes we used to like. In the past our heroes always did the right thing, dashed in where there was trouble, and set things right. They made us want to be better than we are. It seems to me, though, that now heroes who have integrity are viewed as boring or unable to let themselves (or anyone else) enjoy life.
In J. R. R. Tolkein’s “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Frodo’s company has spent time in Lothlorien, the realm of Galadriel the Elf. Gimli had been extremely skeptical of Galadriel before he met her; but when he met her and experienced her goodness and light, his attitude changed drastically. In fact, he asked for a strand of her hair as a parting gift to remember her by (she gave him three). There was beauty and rest and peace in that wood, but the time had come for them to leave. Gimli and Legolas spoke as they sailed away:
“Gimli wept openly. ‘I have looked the last upon that which was fairest,’ he said to Legolas his companion. ‘Henceforward I will call nothing fair, unless it be her gift.’ He put his hand to his breast. ‘Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet upon our road. Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting, even if I were to go this night straight to the Dark Lord. Alas for Gimli son of Glóin!’”
In his book “Letters to an American Lady, C. S. Lewis said, “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.” As followers of Christ, let us shine our light in this world and show it how attractive, how irresistible, real holiness is.