Be a Hero - Be a Man afire for Mission
Former pro athlete Luke Vercollone traded stadium lights for spiritual battlefields—calling men to reject comfort, embrace sacrifice, and lead their families like warriors on a divine mission.
Men are built for mission! We thirst for it, we strive after it, we demand it!
When I left my pro soccer career to serve in ministry, I did this out of obedience to God and with a longing to dive even deeper into His Great Mission. I didn’t do it to be comfortable, to make more money or to get the approval of the culture; I left the sports arena to compete for an imperishable prize - to run the real race to win! (1 Corinthians 9:24)
Men will enter wars, battle dragons and do all sorts of crazy things for that higher meaning and purpose that comes from mission …
In 1907, Earnest Shackleton, recruited his monty crew of adventurers by placing an ad in the newspaper with these words:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”
In speaking of it afterward, Shackleton said that so overwhelming was the response to his appeal that it seemed as though all the men of Great Britain were determined to accompany him in this dangerous adventure to Antarctica.
We were not created to run from danger, but towards it!
Having success is not bad; being comfortable is not wrong; but these are not the ends that we were made for - we were made for greatness!
Saint Mother Theresa said, “It isn’t for us to be successful, only faithful.”
She also said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
I have come to believe that our apostolate succeeds through our primary vocation. Sometimes our greatest successes seem really miniscule from the perspective of worldly achievement.
I know for me, having a great marriage and healthy, holy family is my greatest joy. While this accomplishment isn’t esteemed by our culture, I agree with G.K. Chesterton’s words, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”
Leading our family to heaven doesn’t sound like an epic battle to enter, but it is! The battle for souls is paramount; the fight worth fighting, the race worth winning, the mission worth pursuing!
The most authoritative statement ever spoken was by our Lord before he ascended into heaven as he gave us our marching orders: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations!” - Matthew 28:19
This mission burns in our hearts!
I had a solid Catholic upbringing in MA as the second oldest of 11 children. We prayed, went to Mass, received our Sacraments and learned the faith. I am so blessed and grateful for this early formation. However, my faith did not grow roots and mature - I hadn’t fully embraced it for myself.
When I went off to college I started adapting to the ways of the world and culture. Fortunately, the good work that the Lord began in me didn’t abandon my heart. I learned what St Augustine felt when he cried out, “you made our hearts for yourself oh Lord and they remain restless until they rest in you.”
The Lord placed a FOCUS missionary into my life and our friendship allowed me to see more clearly that Great Mission Jesus had for me. That call lit a flame in my heart that consumed all of my other desires. I gave Jesus everything my junior year of college and that fire has only continued to blaze brighter (upward and outward)!
“Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.”
Men are made for mission. When we lose our way, we are capable of great wickedness (“the corruption of the best is the worst!”). Masculinity is not toxic, but misguided power absolutely leads to corruption. The only time Jesus described His character he used the words “meek and humble of heart”. This is not to be confused with weakness; it is the exact opposite!
Humility is living in the truth and in this context, meekness is being in control of tremendous power. To “meek a stallion” means to tame a wild, powerful horse so its strength is controlled and directed (not weak)!
MEN, you have your mission (should you choose to accept it)! The Heroic Man understands who he is, where he came from, where he is going and why he is here (“for such a time as this” - Esther 4:14). He knows the major costs, the critical task and death-defying mission he must step into … The battle for souls may not appear heroic on the surface, but this battle is far more critical than any other fight the world presents! Holiness requires us to lay down our life, pick up our cross and follow after Jesus (“seek Him first” - Matt 6:33)!
The stakes are high and the task is hard, but the reward far exceeds everything that this world offers!
Let us be heroic men: heart afire with the mission entrusted to us by our Lord, activated towards living this out in the place He has called us, blazing His fire bright to ignite the community around us!
“One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God’s love alive and His presence felt in the world than a thousand half-hearted, talkative busy men living frightened, fragmented lives of quiet desperation.” - Robert McNamara
Luke Vercollone, Founder, Inferno Men (Colorado Springs, CO)