A MISSING LINK?

I’ve often wondered who the role models were for icons like Pierre Trudeau or Gandhi.

On a recent sports radio show, I was surprised to hear that Terry Fox’s hero was Jay Triano, former coach of the Toronto Raptors. Triano was a freshman at Simon Fraser University when he first met Fox, who had played on the school’s basketball team the year before Triano arrived.

One of my heroes is Jean de Brebeuf and while doing some reading today, I may have discovered his inspiration, his source of motivation.

My favourite Brebeuf quote is, “For fear that God would tear me up by the roots as a tree that bears no fruit I prayed to Him to leave me standing yet this year and I promised Him that I would bear better fruit than I have done in the past.”

Compare it to this one. “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” It’s from John the Baptist in the gospel of Matthew.

The similarity is uncanny and leads me to think that Brebeuf took strength and inspiration from the life and the death of his namesake, John the Baptist. Both men were virtuous, inspired to serve and courageous in the face of imminent death. Both led the way for others to welcome God into their lives.

Discovering a possible link between these two great men…awesome!