Catholic Roger Federer is an example of an athlete who is never satisfied with mediocrity, and neither should we accept it in our faith life, writes Pat Macken. (Wikimedia Commons photo)
Becoming a high-performance athlete is not for every child (parents please remember this), but for those who ultimately reach this level in sport one can see a few similarities between the life of the athlete and the daily life of a Catholic.
In the development and structure of these gifts we can see some common patterns, though of course the significance of our faith life is of far higher importance than sports (a point parents often overlook when it comes to attending Sunday Mass). Here are some of those similarities.
1) Joining the community: In sports an individual has officially joined that community when their parents or they themselves register in the sport for the first time. The motivation behind this is often a desire to learn more about the game and become better as a player. It is an activity that seems attractive to them.
As Catholic Christians we become part of the family at our baptism. This too will have been initiated by parents when their children are infants or through an individual’s own initiative as an adult. The Catholic faith obviously is attractive in its beliefs to parents and candidates who believe that the Church will help us improve ourselves and our children and most importantly it will aid us in reaching the ultimate prize of heaven at the end of our life by teaching us how to know, love, and serve God while loving our neighbour .
2) Formation, learning, and developing new knowledge and skills: World class athletes did not get to the top overnight. For example in tennis we have a 1.0 (beginner) to 7.0 (world class) rating system, and moving even up .5 of a rating may take a very long time. From the beginning players need to be taught physical, technical, tactical, and mental skills from coaches and possibly parents. Every athlete has certain areas that take longer than others to develop and lots of repetition and patience are required to overcome bad habits and particular weaknesses. Private lessons are usually required in these areas of developmental need. Like a figure skater who has many falls in practice the athlete needs to keep getting up and showing perseverance.
In faith life similarly we begin receiving a lifetime of formation on the sacraments, the history of the Church, Scripture, the saints, prayer, ethics, morality, virtues, and the life of Jesus. We all are sinners who, like the athlete, are especially weak and vulnerable to certain vices. More time and attention needs to be given to these weaknesses in our life. Our improvement will come mainly from the graces we receive from constant prayer and the sacraments of confession and reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. For Catholics our “private lessons” of faith also can come from having a spiritual director to speak with and receive guidance from. Like the athlete we also have to show patience and fortitude every day in order to win the “Imperishable crown” (1 Corinthians).
3) Learning to compete: An athlete first learns to play before learning to compete. In competition the skills acquired are tested under fire with wins and losses on the line for both the individual and in some cases for the team. Players will face obstacles, challenging opponents, and losses, so one of the most important things big winners develop is an ability to bounce back from adversity. Every setback is a lesson. You cannot be a champion without this ability, since all top athletes have suffered through very tough defeats.
In our faith life we reach a point where we must start to share our love of God in every aspect of our daily life – not just within the safety of the church walls. There is pressure here as we may fear the loss of human respect. This will mean listening to and trusting in the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mother Mary. We will likely have much push-back, especially in today’s world where the opposition can be tough. You may feel you have lost some battles but by keeping God with you always we already know we have won the war. The apostles suffered but they ultimately changed the face of the earth. It is essential that we be a light for a world that does not know Jesus. We cannot hide our faith out of fear as there is no victory in this. An athlete will not win by not competing and a Catholic cannot win without taking the risk of living our faith in the world.
4) Being crowned as a champion: A world champion never settles for mediocrity. Even after victories there is a desire to continue improving and getting closer to the Number 1 ranking. Catholic Roger Federer is an example of an athlete who is never satisfied. At 36 he easily could accept less but instead he continues to look for ways to improve and always have a standard of excellence putting him at the top in the world.
As Catholics our ultimate goal and victory is to be in heaven with Jesus, Mary and all the saints. Never accept anything less than what God asks of us daily – to be saints and do apostolic work. We must not be lukewarm. God asks that we bring those around us to paradise also both by example and sometimes by our words. We then will be champions with the Lord. Live like a high-performance Catholic.