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Competing like a Christian
Dear Families,
Last fall, we did a professional development for the teachers on Catholic Intellectual Tradition. For those unfamiliar with the concept, here is an elevator speech. Basically, the idea that Faith and Reason are two opposing and antagonizing ends of a divide is completely wrong. From the beginning of Genesis, God created an ordered world out of Chaos. Because God is the author of everything, we can infer that we live in an ordered world, and to study that order is to study God’s handiwork. It is for this reason that Christians have always been at the forefront of learning and discovery. Medieval monks preserved ancient wisdom amidst tumult and invasions in candlelit monasteries. The first universities and hospitals were founded and supported by the church. Even in modern times, Catholic intellectuals and scientists have made significant discoveries in major fields such as Physics (Fr. Lemaitre), Computer Science (Sr. Mary Kenneth Kell), and Genetics (Fr. Gregor Mendel). If you don’t believe me, just check out the posters hanging in Mrs. Heim’s lab, reminding our students each day of this proud tradition.
A proper Catholic education then finds ways to connect everything it does back to God for He is the reason the school exists. As I presented on this topic, so many connections buzzed through my head, tracing our stories in reading class to salvation history, or talking about how the study of mathematics points to an ordered universe-“Mathematics is the language with which God wrote the universe.” (Galileo). Nothing got me quite as jazzed though as the chance to talk about Religion in P.E. an opportunity that Mrs. B. seemed just as enthused to take up.
The night before, I had been playing in my adult kickball league when an opponent had started yelling at and threatening to fight one of my teammates, all because he had mistaken his missed kick for a bunt, and was mad at the perceived sportsmanship slight. It occurred to me then, that just as there are themes a Christian should be looking for as they read, there is also a certain way that a Christian should compete.
All of this is a roundabout way of saying that sports are back at St. Mary’s Visitation. This weekend kicks off the Volleyball season, with Cross Country soon to follow. It is such a blessing that our kids have the chance to not only compete, but to compete here, with us, and for us. Youth sports can be such a crucible for character-kids learn how to win, and lose, how to support each other through difficulty, how to perform in spite of fear or nerves, and how to get back up when they fall down. In a Catholic school though, sports should transcend mere competition, because we know everything comes from God, and we are called to imitate Christ in all we do.
I am looking forward to witnessing many great seasons. Above all, I am looking to see our kids continue to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ through their experiences competing. To compete as a Christian, is summed up well by St. Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me,” (2 Timothy 4: 7-8).
God Bless,
Siggy Spelter
Principal
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