Dear Saints,

And just like that, the summer Olympics have come and gone. The olympians have returned to their homelands, the vast majority back to the lives they knew before Paris. For all the years and years of training it took to get there, the games went by in a relative blink of an eye.

The gap between the investment and the moment of truth is even starker when you consider the length of some of the events. The 50M freestyle was finished in less than 22 seconds; the 100M dash was over in less than 10. When compared to the pain of preparation, it can’t help but beg the question: why do elite athletes make such seemingly disproportionate sacrifices, and shed such inordinate blood, sweat, and tears? Why persevere through the inevitable suffering and setback, time and time again?

For most, it’s born of an unquenchable passion refined by wisdom. Usually blessed with next-level talent, they also tend to choose very well, at least when it comes to their sport: optimal nourishment, smart training strategies, crucial rest days. Day in and day out, they make the most of every opportunity, driven by love towards greater love still. It doesn’t matter if people think they’re crazy along the way: crazy or not, somewhere deep within, they need to push forward. And where motivation runs out, discipline takes over.

Properly understood, the Olympics are a great model for Christian life. At times, our loving investment can also seem foolishly disproportionate, when our sacrifice is unappreciated and our suffering goes unnoticed. And it may well be that, by worldly standards, the payoff is pittance compared to the price we pay. But we do well to persevere nonetheless. Because when the blood, sweat, and tears are shed for love, there’s no wiser or more enduring choice to be made.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ