Dear CYO Athletics Community,
As I have shared before, the coming of Advent and the turning of the calendar to December means a heightening awareness of "gifts" and what critical needs will make the list to be sent along to Santa Claus in our house. There is a great deal of anticipation from our 3 boys which leads to anxiety on my part as to whether Christmas will meet their expectations. In his recently published book, "An Advent Pilgrimage", Archbishop J. Peter Sartain recounts a story of some friends who before the birth of their second child were concerned about their capacity for loving their soon to arrive child as much as their first.
Of course, those of us who have kids know and as Archbishop Sartain relates, the couple found their capacity to love grew to encompass the new addition to their family.
And obviously, I know the material gifts under the tree are not the reason for the season so my wife and I do endeavor to teach our kids what Christmas is about by practicing the rituals and living out the traditions that provide the teachable moments during Advent and Christmas.
I was struck by something Archbishop Sartain reflected further, "To love means not to give something but to give myself. And, most importantly of all, to love means to become myself completely."
As we examine this thought in the context of sports, I am struck by two things:
1. In order for a team to become what it is capable of becoming; its team members must give themselves. What in the beginning may start as a passion for a game or competing eventually transforms into relationships of respect, trust and love. A great example of this is the movie, "Rudy" where the main character gives so much of himself it rubs some of his teammates the wrong way. However, in the end his commitment and sacrifice convinces them of his value and contributions to the team.
2. The act of loving and giving of themselves to a team, something larger than themselves allows them to become fully who they are called to be and an inability to do so renders incomplete the fullness of who they are and therefore undermines the team's ability to reach its capacity.
The story of "Dylan's Gift" is another reminder the best gift is not something that can be put under a tree. It is about a 16-year old who has cancer but whose love for his teammates and his team moves him to fully give of himself in spite of his sickness and perhaps inspires the team to more fully reach their capacity as a team which results in a state championship.
May we be so inspired to give of ourselves fully to our loved ones so we become an example of God's love in our children's experiences such that they understand explicitly Christ's coming into their lives, the gift God gives to us all - so they might in turn learn to love God and may become more fully who they are called to be.
And during this time of Advent may we pray in the words of St. Thierry: "[O God}, you first loved us so that we might love you - not because you needed our love, but because we could not be what you created us to be, except by loving you."
Advent Blessings,
~Tauno Latvala
Director of CYO Athletics
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