May 21

Today’s Readings: ACTS 18:1-8 PS 98:1-4 JN 16:16-20

This past Sunday, a giant of a man by the name of Shad Gaspard was swimming about 700 feet from shore with his ten year-old son in Venice Beach, California. The two of them got caught in a rip current and were swept out to sea. A lifeguard made it to them, but due to Gaspard’s size (6’6, 295), he was struggling to save them both. Gaspard yelled for the lifeguard to save his son.

As his son was being saved, a large wave crashed down on the father and he wasn’t seen again. After 24 hours, search efforts were suspended and it has become a recovery effort. At the time of this writing, a body has yet to be recovered.

A truly tragic story, but also a beautiful moment of heroism. Yet, to those who knew him, it wasn’t a surprise. Years earlier, Gaspard (a former performer in the professional wrestling business) had single-handedly stopped a robbery when he disarmed a man and restrained him until authorities arrived.

This story reminds me of who we are called to be as Catholics: people who place others before ourselves. Whether it is leaving the best piece of cake for your spouse, doing the chore you know your family members hate doing, or saying, “Save my son.”

David is the Director of Faith Formation at Our Lady of Joy. If you have comments or questions, send your emails to dlins@oloj.org.

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