Half Marathons and Training
We Often Fall to the Level of Our Training
Editor’s Note: This is a summary of a homily from Fr. Luke Daghir at St. Jude the Apostle parish in Erie on October 13th.
Humans tend not so much to rise to the occasion but rather to fall to the level of their training.
I had the opportunity to run a half marathon yesterday in Warren, PA. We began at the Kinzua beach, ran across the long bridge, which gave us a stellar view into the coves, then ran across the dam and along the river into Warren. The leaves were astounding, with vibrant colorations.
I wish I could say I rose to the occasion, but I fell to the level of my training. Around the 3-mile mark, I struggled. My cardio was not holding up, my feet began to hurt, and I needed breaks to walk.
My brother also ran the race. He also did not rise to the occasion and instead fell to the level of his training.
One of our good friends, Harley, ran the race. Harley took first place, finishing in 1 hour and 8 minutes. He also holds the record. Harley did not rise to the occasion but instead fell to the level of his training. However, Harley’s training is superb.
Similarly, the young, rich man in today’s Gospel did not rise to the occasion. Instead, he, too, fell to the level of his training. What was the young, rich man’s training? We are told that he followed the commandments and that he had observed these since his youth.
However, Jesus tells him that he is lacking in one thing. The young, rich man had many possessions, and Jesus told him to give them away. The young, rich man walked away sad. The young, rich man's training appeared strong on the outside, but unfortunately, he had attachments to possessions that bound him on the inside.
Each of us has things in our lives that we are attached to and hold on to, which Jesus is telling us to let go of. All of us sinners are holding on to something that we do not need to hold on to.
The young, rich man in the Gospel today is symbolic of each of us sinners.
The young, rich man's mistake was not asking Jesus for help. What would have happened had he told Jesus, “Teacher, it is hard for me to let go of these possessions. Could you help me?”
Let’s face it: Whatever we are holding on to is hard to let go of—or we would have let go of it yesterday.
Humans tend not so much to rise to the occasion but rather fall to the level of their training.
How committed are we to the training program Jesus has laid out before us? How committed are we to the Church He built, His teachings, the sacraments He instituted, and the teachings and challenges He has given us in the Gospels?
The fact is that the sins we hold on to bind us and keep us from being free. When we are willing to let go of the sin or ask Jesus to help us truly let go of the sin we hold on to, we become more able to spiritually run freely with Jesus.
A half marathon is a long way. There are many steps, or strides, by which the runner completes the race. No runner, in one straightforward stride, can complete the entire race. It is very similar to the journey to heaven. Very rarely is it one choice in which we choose heaven, but rather, it is a multitude of choices over time in which we choose heaven.
Let us commit ourselves to the Divine Coach, Jesus of Nazareth, and His training program. Yes, God can give a burst of grace at this particular moment, but more often than not, God gives His grace to those who cooperate with Him. The consistent training process is where God is most likely to provide grace to strengthen us, similar to how a runner gains strength through consistent training.
We need the training program Jesus created through His Church. A big part of athletic training is showing up to practice. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Thank you for coming to practice today, to Mass, which is preparation for Heaven. We each need the practice because…
Humans tend not so much to rise to the occasion but rather to fall to the level of their training.
Fr. Luke Daghir
