“In all of life’s events, recognize God’s divine will; adore it, bless it. Do not be eager to free yourself from the things that are hard for you. And particularly the things that are the hardest.”
- St. Pio
The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger." The motto was proposed in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin, the “Father of the Modern Olympic Games." De Coubertin borrowed it from his friend Henri Didon, a Dominican priest and athletics enthusiast. The motto was introduced in 1924 at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The Summer Olympics Games will be held in London this year with the opening on July 27 and closing ceremonies on August 12. Chiseled and crafted athletes will captivate the world’s attention at the greatest sporting spectacle as they put sports and skills on display, and each country will cheer on their beloved homelands.
St. Paul gives us a checklist throughout his writings to help us hone the Christian virtues of humility, selflessness and sacrifice. Paul admonishes us to excel in virtue, while reminding us that improving any skill takes hard practice. Faith opens a way to realizing our highest good and having faith makes one more optimistic, healthier and more prosperous.
In the Greek world athletics was a very important dimension of life. And St. Paul, who traveled and preached in Greece, must have had a great affinity and identification with athletes since so many of his letters compare living the Christian life with being an athlete. As we view the Olympic games let us reflect not just on being fit for the rigors of stellar physical performances, but let us do an inventory of our own spiritual health to see how fit we are to win the greatest prize, Jesus Christ. Perhaps we could consider this checklist for spiritual fitness as the Summer Olympic games are being played:
1. Pray Every Day: St. John Vianney once said, “The less I pray, the less I want to pray. The more I pray, the more I want to pray.” Do we make an appointment for God each day where we carve out time and a place to pray? In today’s world, time is a great enemy of prayer. “Tempus fugit” (or time flies), we all know means that we feel dominated by the urgent. Time is so elusive and evasive. Time dedicated to God, of peace, calmness and quiet, ensures that we will grow closer to God day by day.
2. Read the Bible Every Day: When we learn to hear God’s Word speak to us, we are changed and challenged to be more contemplative and more linked to Him. When we take time to read the Bible we learn from God His Wisdom. We are taught by God and we encounter Him. In so doing, we communicate God’s presence to others.
3. Examine Your Conscience Every Day: The Greek philosopher Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Today we seem to have lost the art of self-examination. The Christian writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) once wrote the following letter to the newspaper, “Dear Sir: What is wrong with the human race? I am. Yours Sincerely, GK Chesterton.” Seriously examining our conscience is vital to be spiritually healthy and alive. Most of our problems in life stem from our inability to be still.
4. Fight the Battle for the Mind Every Day: We must make a choice to hold on to positive Godly thoughts or be overwhelmed by our own negative thoughts. We can’t afford the luxury to dwell, ruminate and obsess on fear, hatred, revenge and violence, but must cultivate forgiveness, hopefulness, peace and love. I remind each penitent that God loves them, God forgives them, God is with them and God has a plan for their life.
5. Repent Every Day: We must turn to God as beggars. We are all sinners. And what sinners do best is sin. But if we are humble, contrite and wise we will stay connected to the source of life Who is God. By a daily act of contrition or repentance, we are drawn closer to God. And God is always close to us when we are brokenhearted and repentant. I always like to say — name it, claim it and let it go into the ocean of God’s infinite mercy.
6. Grow in our Eucharistic Adoration: The Eucharist is the “source and the summit” of our Catholic Faith; it reminds us that God’s greatest gift is to us to feed us in this life and in the life to come. We are called to a mature faith and time spent with the Eucharistic Lord facilitates this. Every Wednesday in our parish at St. Joseph we have all-day Eucharistic adoration in the middle of the week to remind our people not to lose sight of the gift of God. I am humbly amazed to see how many come to adore the Lord, asking the Holy Spirit to deepen a love in them for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
7. Make Time for Spiritual Reading: Throughout the centuries the Church has always encouraged the practice of Lectio Divina or sacred reading. By reflecting on the insights and wisdom in Christian living from such spiritual masterpieces as The Confessions of St. Augustine, the Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux or the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we find strength and direction for our Christian lives through great and holy spiritual companions.
8. Love Your Neighbor and Your Enemy: The “Great Commandment” is to love God and neighbor, (even if that neighbor is your enemy). Without God’s grace and help we cannot love. Love challenges us to take the high road and go the extra mile by being forgiving, being tolerant of others and being prepared to witness to Gospel.
9. Cultivate the Virtue of Hope: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about the hope of eternal life and the promise of God’s love. It’s not easy to hear and accept this if we are stuck in the rut of hopelessness and despair and lose sight of God’s love. The cure is to turn back to God, repent, believe His Gospel and be filled with hope.
10. Be Joyful and Happy: Believers of Jesus Christ should be the happiest people on earth. This joyfulness, borne of the Holy Spirit, never makes us shallow, superficial or facile but wells within us with infectious joy and happiness. May we go and spread the joy of the Holy Spirit today and everyday.
Let us be Olympians — Citius, Altius, Fortius!
