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June is for Weddings
“His is full of sweetness, and he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend.” These are words may have spoken by my wife thirty years ago on the eve of our wedding☺. But they were first recorded in the Song of Solomon over two thousand years ago. It is a book within the Bible that is widely believed to be an allegory of Christ’s love for His Church. (This book is found in the Old Testament between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.)
It’s often suggestive words are very different from those used in other parts of the Bible. But rather than raising sensuous thoughts, they lead us to praise the Creator who created man in His own image, who made the human body beautiful, who woke in Adam the longing for a companion like himself yet different and who led the first bride – the very ultimate of the works of creation – to her admiring bridegroom. One commentary suggests that through this book the Holy Spirit will lead its readers to Christ who is calling to us in the same way.
We can provide the world a similar service by living our Life Athletes commitment. Through seeing and experiencing the purity and holiness of the earthly bond of love between a man and woman, sincere seekers are pointed to the love relationship which is heavenly and eternal - the spotlessly pure and indestructible bond of love that exists between Christ and His Church.
March Madness & Easter Peace
We are having fun watching our brackets rise and fall. We also have our favorite commercials and an even longer list of those that annoy us as they get repeated over and over again.
All of this madness is juxtaposed with the real madness leading to the crucifixion of God two thousand years ago. Fortunately for us, our moment of madness did not end there. The Resurrection of Easter gave us a second chance. In other words, we are not in a single-elimination tournament.
Love One Another 1+1=2
The love between a man and woman united in marriage is a remarkable image of God in the world.
When a man and woman freely united themselves in marriage they witness God’s total and faithful love for us. This is the meaning of marriage at its deepest level of reality.
God made man in His image; he made them both male and female. They are equal in dignity but complementary in their differences. Together they become more than just the sum of their parts. In other words, they are more than just 1+1=2. They are 1+1=3, or even more. The love between spouses is life giving, just as the relationship within the Holy Trinity is life-giving.
Free To Be Faithful
A truth of Christianity is the equality of all persons in the eyes of God. Whether you are male or female, black or white, gay or straight, healthy or not, Christian or not, a baby still in the womb or born – the list could go on. It is within the Christian Faith that human freedom is established and maintained. Take this Faith away and our freedom will follow.
On the Laura Ingraham Show April 12, 2013
Interview with Chris Godfrey
Strong Fathers,
Strong Daughters
By. Meg Meeker, MD
The Bureau Outclasses the Field
Congratulations to “The Bureau” for winning the 7th Annual Life Athletes Little Bookstore Basketball Tournament at St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend. They hold the distinguished honor of not only winning the 3 on 3 competition, but also the Best Team Uniform prize – a real class act. (L-R: Chris Godfrey, Eric Mossey, Matthew Monserez, Denton Gillis and Fr. Terry Coonan.)
The Brothers Bowl
Perhaps the most notably story in the run up to Super Bowl XLVII is the family angle. The Harbaugh brothers (John and Jim) are the head coaches of the respective teams playing for the biggest prize in sports. But whatever the outcome, they are already winners.
Their father Jack was a coach of mine at the University of Michigan, and his young boys were often present doing what coaches sons do during training camp: getting the Gatorade out, providing towels and footballs – and even getting taped to goalposts. Ah! To be young again☺
Good relationships, especially in families are the prize we are most concerned about winning, or rather I should say most concerned about “earning”. There are few things easy about it. Just like making it to the Super Bowl, it requires effort, sacrifice, and sometimes overcoming bad luck. Whatever it is, the struggle is what makes life worth living.
LPGA
I recently joined some ladies on the pro golf circuit for their regularly scheduled Bible Study this summer. The Symetra Tour and is related to the Ladies Professional Golfers Association. As I understand it, the best of the former get to move up to play for bigger prizes in the LPGA.
It was quite a change from an NFL clubhouse. What struck me was the different ways these sports related to the Life Athletes Commitment. In the NFL sheer will power and strength are highly valued. Whereas in golf one must fight hard against the impulse to “grip it and rip it.” Perfecting your swing is where it is at; you don’t have to swing hard. You simply trust your swing and the club.
WILL YOU BE READY?
Jerry Palmieri doesn’t wear a headset.
But he does have the ear of the Super Bowl 46 Champion NY Giants.
He is the Strength and Conditioning Coach.
He gets the players ready to win through countless hours of work BEFORE the season even starts.
“It is thrilling to work with the caliber of athlete I have the privilege of training,” said Coach Palmieri.
“Our team as a whole is a hard-working team.”
Football Camp Draws from Three States
Over 120 young footballers from 35 different schools gathered at St. Joseph's High School in South Bend, IN. They received a comprehensive instruction on how to be a good football player. They were tested, measured, and competed while learning
about the virtues that would give them a greater capacity to succeed.
Chris Godfrey recounted the story he heard from Coach Bill Parcells about the advice Coach Chuck Noll gave NFL coaches: "In order to have a good team, your good players have to be good people." It was a simple, but profound statement, and one the day's instruction followed. Among other things the campers learned to be grateful for their many gifts, and to be good team players.
TREVER MILLER
Life Athletes Questionaire
We are pleased to announce the newest member to our Life Athletes family. His name is Trever Miller and he is a 14-year veteran of Major League Baseball, and most recently from the St. Louis Cardinals.
By way of introduction it would be hard to top the following story by Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post:
The lowest point for Trever Miller came as he was sitting on his patio, in the rain, drowning his misfortunes in a six-pack while lightning cracked in the sky all around.
The left-handed reliever had just been hit hard while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, and the pressure of caring for a handicapped daughter born with a condition so rare that doctors could find just 20 other cases in history was overwhelming.
Life Athletes Club at Day of Grace and Healing
The University of Notre Dame is the site of a well-known replica of the Grotto at Lourdes France. Recently a Day of Grace and Healing was held for area caregivers and their sick and infirm loved ones.
Members of the Life Athletes Club of St. Joseph's High School assisted by helping the sick and the infirm attendees. Thereby giving caregivers and chance for there own personal prayer and reflection. It was a wonderful day that increased the faith of many who attended.
It was a particular blessing for our members who were able to act upon their pledge to respect the lives of others, while encouraging their caregivers in their irreplaceable role. While many professional services exist to provide paid medical assistance, only family can provide what the sick and aged need most, which is love.
New York Coaches Play with Faith
Chris Godfrey recently teamed up with coaches and athletic directors to discuss the way our Faith can inspire our participation in athletics. Chris stressed the need to set clear priorities and to make the sacrifices necessary to fulfill them. Otherwise if our priorities are misplaced we will not achieve what we had hoped to gain, and any suffering endured in their pursuit would be in vain. Good relationships are always the key to our happiness, first with God and then with others. These come before all else.