Valiant

VALIANT: Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk humbly. Be what you were created for. -Based on Micah 6:8

Navy chaplain Luis Padillo gives last rites to a soldier wounded by sniper fire during a revolt in Venezuela. Braving the streets amid sniper fire to offer last rites to the dying, the priest encountered a wounded soldier, who pulled himself up by clinging to the priest’s cassock, as bullets chewed up the concrete around them. The photographer Hector Rondón Lovera, who had to lie flat to avoid getting shot, later said that he was unsure how he managed to take this picture. The Catholic priest, Luis Padillo, would walk the streets, even through sniper fire, offering last rites to the fighters. Besides the priest’s bravery, he also knows the enemy will think a lot before shooting him (just imagine the propaganda) and the enemy soldiers are Catholic and would refuse that order.

The photo was taken on June 4 (1962) by Hector Rondón Lovera, photographer of Caracas, for the Venezuelan newspaper, La Republica. It won the World Press Photo of the Year and the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Photography." The original title of work is “Aid From The Padre” and it can be seen here: http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/priest-dying-soldier-1962/

This photo perfectly sums up the inspiration for VALIANT, a national Catholic magazine launching this week, I created for men. In our Catholic Faith, we have peacemakers and warriors, so complimentary to each other and both fighting for the same goal: Christ. The peacemaker, fighting a spiritual battle, and the warrior, fighting a physical one, coming to the aid of those who cannot defend themselves. Each end is equally important and equally portrays strength, courage and fortitude.

After seeing mass shootings, cheating scandals, drug overdoses and divorces in daily headlines, I felt called to bring together and share stories of men striving for righteousness, who are not afraid to put another’s needs before their own. Those men are right among us, living sacrificial lives daily, full of love for their families and neighbor. They are risking their lives in the physical battles and the spiritual battles of our world. I created VALIANT to not only tell our strong, young men in today's culture about the power of God, but to show them. Discover pro-football players, top musicians and actors, elite soldiers, inspiring priests, national speakers, top bloggers and more who are all living their faith daily. These men have found their cause and are fighting for souls. There are members of Christ's body suffering all around us on a daily basis: the depressed, suicidal, lost, confused, lonely. Every man is called to bring peace and protection to God's people; every man has a mission. Everything changes when you find yours.

VALIANT is out now! Learn more at: www.be-valiant.net