It may seem odd that a religious inspiration come from a comment made by a football coach, but that is what I got, an insight about God and us, as I listened to Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly’s remarks about his quarterback to an ESPN reporter in a brief halftime interview at the September 2 Notre Dame – Louisville football game.1 When asked about quarterback Ian Book’s rather poor performance in the first half, Coach Kelly said that he was “trying to do too much” and that he needed “just to be himself.” What I thought was, “Now isn’t that exactly the message that God is probably trying over and over again to give to us humans?” “You’re trying to do too much.” “Just be yourself.” “Just be what I created you to be.”
Ian was able to follow his coach’s advice which led his team to a victory.
I was intrigued enough to go to the Notre Dame website and view the postgame press conference where Coach Kelly remarked that “Ian drives himself to greatness. He’s out the every day working to get better.”
So. . .
Let’s work on listening to God as Ian listened to Coach Kelly. Let’s stop trying to do too much and just cooperate with God’s gifts and graces. Just be who God created us to be – our true selves.2 And let’s help others to see that they are on this team, God’s team, God’s people, with us and can help us make the world shine with the Light of Christ.
And, hopefully, God is saying about us:
“He drives himself to greatness. She’s out there every day working to get better.”
Sister Loretta Fernandez RSM
* Perhaps it shouldn’t seem so “odd” to learn about God via the words and actions of those around us. I think that most of the good words, actions, feelings and emotions that arise from within the human spirit come from tendencies placed within us by our creator. Might a purpose in placing them within us have been to give us some idea about the nature of God? After all, as the Bible says, we are made in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:27)
2. Fr. Vincent Youngberg CP told us in a retreat he gave here several years ago that we spend too much time worrying about two versions of ourselves (the “me” I want people to think that I am and the “me” I think I am) and not enough time thinking about the “me” God knows I am and can become.
