I was inspired by a recent homily by Father Felix Min at St. Paul’s in Richmond. He spoke eloquently about having to be patient and vigilant during Advent as we await the celebration of Jesus’ coming. Whether we are waiting for food to arrive at a restaurant or looking forward to a major sporting competition, we need to be patient. Both experiences can teach us something about pursuing the far more important experience of finally meeting Jesus.
We want this meeting desperately, but we must at the same time look at each day as a chance to be better prepared.
Many world-class athletes often dream about winning major events and ultimately making the Hall of Fame of their sport at the end of their career.
They circle the dates of these competitions on their calendar. These events have the most prestige, the biggest crowds, and the most prize money. The athlete will have a coach, fitness trainer, sport psychologist, and other team members to keep them focused on the daily work needed to be incredibly well prepared for these special events. The athlete will need to be disciplined in simultaneously training hard each day to gradually improve their skill set while increasingly building excitement and urgency for the big day.
While the magnitude of the tournament is huge, any success they achieve will come from the daily improvements that they have achieved every day. During this pre-tournament journey, there will be obstacles to overcome, so it is vital that the athlete learns the skills to persist in the battle and to overcome these challenges. There are usually smaller competitions in which they will practise dealing with these same challenges. Enough practice should lead to trusting the process under pressure.
Now try to see our journey to the big day when Jesus arrives in the same way. This is the biggest of days for us as Catholics. Our whole spiritual life is meant to prepare us for our meeting with the Lord. We have priests, spiritual directors, mentors, teachers, the Gospel, our guardian angel, family, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints on our team helping prepare and guide us daily. This is a most impressive team.
Every day through Mass, prayer, visits to a chapel, acts of kindness, and regular confession we are improving our spiritual game. On a daily visit we too will have adversities (the devil will try to stop you) and setbacks, but overcoming them through faith will bring us closer to God for that big day. You should see Jesus every day in others and see this as a chance to take care of their needs, which are his needs.
Yes, get excited about meeting Jesus, but be patient in the process. Some Hall of Fame athletes like National Hockey League superstars Raymond Bourque and Alex Ovechkin, golf’s Sergio Garcia, and the National Football League’s John Elway were in the twilight of their careers before they experienced their major victory. They continued to learn, to forgive themselves for past mistakes, and to believe. We similarly need to continue growing, go to confession for forgiveness, and believe even more in the beauty awaiting us on Christ’s coming.
So during this Advent season be patient and still keep moving ever closer to baby Jesus in the stable, just as the shepherds did.
As this is my last column before Christmas, I wanted to leave with you a few uplifting year-end quotes from Catholic athletes and coaches reflecting how significant their faith is in their lives. There are many fine examples of Catholic athletes in the sports world, and I pray that those of you involved in sport at any level will be one of those witnesses. Have a blessed Christmas!
• Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh (profiled in Anne Stricherz’ blog post, “Do you know these amazing Catholic athletes?”): “Mass is a way to honour and praise God. You humble yourself before God and let him know that these things we do are for you.”
• Alberto Salazar, champion of the New York and Boston marathons (Stricherz): “Running for the Lord is my biggest reason. There is a belief out there that unless you can do something perfectly its not worth doing. This is wrong. On your drive home take 20 minutes to say the rosary. It may not be perfect, but God will reward you for that effort.”
• American gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes (Beliefnet): “‘I can do all things through God who strengthens me’; this is my favourite verse in Scripture and whenever moments of doubt came I would push them out with these words.”
• NFL star quarterback Philip Rivers (National Catholic Register): “Faith comes first, then family and then football.”
• Olympic gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky (N.C. Register): “I think the beauty of Catholicism is its consistency through a person’s successes and difficulties. In training, competition, school, family and everyday life.”
