I gave this talk to the Bishop Dwenger Cross Country teams ahead of their Regional Meet…
Today, I hope to give you inspiration from two very different sources, but a with a common message. One is Saint John Vianney, and the other is a Navy SEAL sniper.
St. John Vianney grew up in the French town of Ars, and from an early age had a particular devotion to Mary the mother of Jesus, even to the point of carrying a small statue of her in his pocket. He is the patron saint of priests, but I would argue that he should also be the patron saint of cross country runners.
Let me explain why – as a young boy, John got lost in the woods and became very distraught. It was early in the evening and was quickly getting dark. As usual, he had that statue of Mary in his pocket, and on an impulse, decided to throw it, then run after it, praying in faith that Mary would somehow show him the way home.
Over and over again he would throw the tiny statue, and through tears would begin to pray a Hail Mary, run to it, pick it up, and throw it again. Over and over he did this - throw after throw, prayer after prayer, pursuit after pursuit, he continued. And just as the last bit of light trickled from that day, he found himself out of the woods and back in the comfort of his hometown. In thanksgiving, he dedicated his life and priesthood to the devotion of Mary.
The other story I want to share with you has to do with Navy SEALs. The company I work for sells targets to the SEALS and one day I invited Father Jonathan Norton to join us ona trip down to Camp Atterberry to test a new target with a couple Navy SEAL sniper instructors. They couldn’t have been more gracious when they found out he was going to be a Navy chaplain – I think they had more questions for him then he had for them, and there wasn’t a swear word uttered the whole day. But one of their answers really stuck with me.
Father Jonathan asked how they got through BUDS training, which is a grueling set of physical and mental tests meant to weed out most of those attempting to become a SEAL. Our host shared that during an exercise where they had to stay in ice cold water for an extended period,it dawned on him that it was only temporary and that the test would end at some point. With that bit of mental insight and fortitude,he knew he could see his way through the test, or any test.
These two stories help illustrate how every encounter in life is a gift of Grace from God, including the trials. Because without trials, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to grow in faith, courage and perseverance. No matter what challenge you face, the pain and discomfort is always temporary – and we have faith that after every trial is a consolation, like St John emerging from the woods, or a SEAL candidate getting a warm blanket after an icy soak.
So I challenge you in these final days of your season, and for some of you the final days of your Bishop Dwenger career, to think of St. John Vianney and the Navy SEALs. When your legs feel heavy and your lungs feel empty and you want to slow down, remember the SEALs and that the pain is only temporary.
And then mentally picture reaching in your pocket, grabbing a little statue of Mary, throwing it ahead of you as far as you can, and begin to pray a Hail Mary, faithfully asking for the grace of God to help you run through the challenge.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.St John Vianney, pray for us. Mary queen of all saints, pray for us.