‘Run so as to win’

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Michael Phelps won eight gold medals and set seven world records, giving him the most gold medals of any modern Olympian athlete, with a total of 14. Michael Phelps never rests on his laurels until he has won the race. We should have the same attitude. The great evangelizer St. Paul did. He showed the highest degree of commitment and perseverance in his race toward the spiritual finish line and he exhorts us to imitate him. He calls us to exercise discipline; to train our minds and our bodies; to play by the rules, to compete well so as to win the race that Christ sets before us: “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Cor 9: 24-27)

What we have seen in Michael Phelps’ story of success, we see in the life of holiness and fruitful evangelization of St. Paul. Both made every effort to develop self-mastery so as to reach their clearly-defined goal: to win, to come out ahead, to set a world record! So must we, given that we are pursuing an imperishable crown, a lasting prize: life on high with Jesus Christ, after a life of holiness on earth. Of course, this is a life-long process, but we must begin today, no matter where we are in the race: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:10-14)

We must begin and continue our spiritual training by taking seriously our own conversion: our adherence to the Lord, our taking on his mind and attitude, our continuously ridding ourselves of all that is not Christ-like, as holy Scripture says: “…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” (Heb 12:1-4)
Seriously-committed athletes win gold. Seriously-committed Christians become saints, fully Christ-like. We should make it our goal then to run so as to win and not ruin our chances of winning the everlasting and unfading crown of glory! We must firmly resolve to win by competing well, according to the rules. What are the rules, you may ask? Christ has set before us the “rules of the game.” He has entrusted revealed truth to the church he established as mater et magistra, that is, as mother and teacher, to guide us into the fullness of truth. Through the church, Christ teaches us and exemplifies what it means to be a Christian disciple, to be a child of God, to be fully human as the Vatican Council states: “Christ reveals man to man himself, and makes his supreme calling clear.” (Gaudium et spes, 22)

As we continue to deepen our knowledge of the faith and perfect our practice of the teachings of Christ, we increase our appreciation for the rules of the game that enable us to win. This energizes us to strive daily to live our lives according to what the church teaches, making every effort to engage in the affairs of public life with a Catholic mindset and live according to the moral and ethical demands of the Gospel, making the Word of God come alive in our personal, family and public lives as Catholics.

There are a number of concrete steps that help us “train” well for the “race,” including personal and communal prayer, studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, reading and meditating on holy Scripture, receiving the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation frequently, serving others, and in other ways nurturing our faith and sharing it with others, for as Pope John Paul II said: “Missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!” (Redemptoris missio, 2)

Indeed, in the words of Archbishop José H. Gomez, we are called to be “ambassadors of faith, heralds of hope and messengers of love.”

During this Jubilee Year, St. Paul urges us to take an honest and thoughtful look at our lives to see where we stand, lest we fool ourselves: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” (1 Cor 13:5-6)

One thing is certain: only the hardworking make it to the finish line successfully. The victory is assured to those who know what they want and how to get there — and work hard at it. The good thing is that God is on our side! He has every desire to bestow upon each and every one of us his grace and power so that we might achieve the very heights of holiness. He is for us! Therefore, let us aim high. Let us “go for the gold”! The Olympian motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger.). Make this motto your own as you keep and share the faith, so that you may say with St. Paul at the end of your life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4: 7)

Martha Fernandez-Sardina is the archdiocesan Office for Evangelization and an international bilingual speaker and teacher. She previously served as archdiocesan Director for Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Rosa Mera serves as the assistant to the director of the Office for Evangelization and is a member of the Marian Community of Reconciliation.