It seems that every couple of weeks a new
superhero film hits the cinemas, London Buses are permanently plastered with advertisements
of muscle-bound heroes and heroines, caped and masked, ready to save the world…
again. For us Catholics the idea that there are beings in or from another place,
dimension or time, ready and waiting to help us is not so strange – after all,
the saints we know, love and pray too also have uniforms, special powers and
easily recognizable symbols . I’ve often used the superhero analogy when explaining
the communion of saints to confirmation candidates so I was super-excited when
I came across Maria Johnson’s latest book: Supergirls
and Halos a fun and thought-provoking exploration of the world of lady saints
and super-heroines. I recently had a chance to interview the author about her book
and her own journey towards super-sanctity!
Tell us about yourself? How do you juggle
family life, faith and writing?
Now that I am retired and fully enjoying
the benefits of the empty nest, I thought I’d be writing more – but that hasn’t
exactly been the case. When the children were little, and even up into their
high school and college years, I would set aside special time to write. But
now, I find that having all that “extra” time gets filled with volunteering or
enjoying spontaneous outings with my husband. I’ve gone back to a writing
schedule in the very early morning. I dedicate that first hour or two of the
day to prayer and writing, and that way, anything I do later in the day is a
bonus!
What inspired you to write this book?
The idea that the heroes in popular culture
have some value for talking about virtue has been on my mind for decades. It’s
only been in the last decade or so, with a reawakened faith, that I can see the
value of this exercise through a faith lens. When I saw that there was a Wonder
Woman movie being made, it hit me like a bolt of lightning! This is a book for
our time. So many of us are seeking something…the good…which you and I
understand is God. But so many people are seeking and not finding the Truth. I wanted
to write a bridge for them. To speak to them where they are in the culture, and
point them toward the saints, toward the Blessed Mother, who will lead us to
Jesus. I start with Wonder Woman and write about Our Lady of Guadalupe in the
last chapter.
Who was your favourite saint and
superhero as you were growing up?
My favorite hero was definitely Lt. Uhura
from Star Trek, but I can’t remember having a favorite saint. The Blessed
Mother was always a presence in our home, especially under the title of Our
Lady of Charity, so maybe my favorite was Mary! But really, I probably had an unfavorite
saint in St. Teresa of Avila. That’s a long story, but it involved having to
attend a lot of my mother’s school reunion lunches. She went to a Carmelite
school and so I took it out on St. Teresa when I’d have to give up my Saturday
afternoon to visit with my mom’s childhood friends. St. Teresa and I have made
up and become friends since those days.
Wonder woman was the first female
superhero to star in her own film. What do you think female superheroes bring
to the table which is distinctive and helpful to us mere mortal ladies?
The superheroines on the big screen give us
a chance to have adventures vicariously. It would be cool to fly, or control
nature, or have the strength to throw a railcar across a shipyard. It’s not
very useful to me on a daily basis, but it’s cool. But you know, being able to
throw a train, and having the temperance or prudence not to do it…that’s
meaningful. We see heroines on the big screen control their powers, or use them
for good, and we can be encouraged to do the same. I don’t have much use for
picking up cars, but really, I have a weapon in how I use words. Modeling that
temperance, that self-control, in how I use my words is also a heroic act. I
can destroy or build up. The Superheroines teach that. Wonder Woman,
especially, because she’s in the culture right now, is an even greater example
of how as women, we can lead with love. I’m sure we’ll see it next month in the
release of The Last Jedi, where we’ll
not only see Rey tackle a hero’s journey, but we’ll see a glimpse of General
Organa (Princess Leia) lead with spiritual motherhood. It’s a wonderful time
for girls and women to see these heroines on the screen.
Every superhero has her nemesis or
weakness, what do you think stops women from becoming saints?
In the book I describe these hindrances to
our holiness as capes. Remember in The
Incredibles, Edna Mode refused to add a cape to Mr. Incredible’s suit? She
said capes got in the way of his work. We put on capes in our lives that hold
us back from holiness. Sin, of course, is what I’m talking about. While we
might not be able to avoid sin, we do have powerful tools in our faith utility
belts. We have frequent reception of the sacraments, reconciliation and
communion! We have prayer and devotions! We have the rosary!
How do you avoid the risk of trivializing
the importance of the saints by comparing them with imaginary caped crusaders
of various shapes and sizes?
That’s such a great question because, of
course, my intent is to inspire! I start each section by talking about the
heroine and identifying her human virtues and strengths. These characters
exhibit a kind of heroism that is over the top, in your face. They are
characters that popular culture hold up as role models. I acknowledge that they
have traits that are admirable and worthy of emulating, but then I introduce
the saint and discuss the same kind of virtue in the context of the cardinal
virtues. I point out the very human
experience of the saint. Heroic virtue, as exhibited in the lives of saints, is
presented not only as the ideal, but attainable. We are all made to be saints
and are all capable of heroic virtue in our lives.
What are your hopes and dreams for this
book?
I hope this book inspires women of all ages
to release the capes getting in the way of leading lives of holiness. Too often
we think Sainthood is unattainable, that somehow the Saints have some extra
ingredient that makes them Super-Holy. That extra ingredient is Grace, and it
is freely given to us, not earned. We all have the makings of sainthood. I hope
this book shows the way to real heroic virtue. And I hope it entertains,
inspires, and brings out the saint in each of us.
