The Olympics and Our Spiritual Race

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 8/26/04)

In recent weeks we have been captivated by the Summer Olympics in Athens. On display are the world’s virtuosi of sports. Their grace, speed, precision and endurance are breathtaking. With such a concrete display of physical prowess so close at hand, we might do well to consider the question, "How is our spiritual training?"

Success at the Olympics comes at the heels of years of training. Virtually every aspect of an athlete’s life — from their diet and sleep to their social life — is placed in the greater context of physical health. This singleness of purpose demands sacrifices, ones which must appear small to those who stand on the dais to receive the gold, silver or bronze.

The training routine for the U.S. Men’s Swimming Team, according to Coach Eddie Reese, begins at 6 a.m. with a 3- to 4-mile swim. Swimmers then attend classes and lift weights for 90 minutes before returning to the pool for sessions of 4 to 6 miles. Progress is arduous. "Most swimmers take years to correct problems in their strokes," said Reese in a recent interview.

How is our spiritual training going? What is our daily training schedule? Are we attempting to correct the problems in our walk with the Lord?

You and I, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are spiritual athletes in a life-long race to answer the call to holiness. "[L]et us lay aside every weight," writes St. Paul, " … and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1).

As athletes have personal trainers, so each of us in our various vocations must consider the parameters within which we might train in being a disciple. Consider the morning routine of Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Carmelite priest martyred by the Nazis, at Dachau, in 1942.

"I shall tell you my timetable," Blessed Titus wrote in a letter just five months before his death. "I rise at about 7 o'clock. Bell is rung, light is switched on. A short morning prayer. I strip my bed, fold blankets and sheets, receive water. Then I kneel down and say the prayers of Holy Mass, spiritual communion. Then the coffee is about to arrive, a tin half liter cup. I soak the bread in it. Angelus. Breakfast ... Then wash and dress … Then it is about half past eight, nine. I say Matins, Lauds and Prime, and after that half an hour of meditation. They are different hours from the convent, but one has to adapt oneself. From ten to half past eleven I read, and when I have paper I also write. I am working on the Life of St. Teresa … After half past eleven I say the little hours. Then lunch. Angelus. Adoration in the spirit. I sing an Adoro Te. Then a walk in my room, three meters forward three meters back, and then the same again … " (Letter, March 5, 1942).

While this example may seem extreme, it demonstrates how a disciple of Jesus devoted himself so beautifully to God amidst the horror of a Nazi death camp. In a cell three meters long, Blessed Titus walked and prayed.

My brothers and sisters, in the midst of material abundance and relative safety, are we living a compelling witness to our families, neighbors and communities? To grow in Christ, let us turn with greater grace, precision and endurance to a daily life of prayer, regular participation in the sacraments of Eucharist and reconciliation, and a loving service to those the Lord has placed in our lives. This is what our spiritual training is all about.

"[T]hanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57)!

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