The Death Crawl

Trusting in God’s grace with a promise of perseverance

11/29/2017

Luke 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

             Did everyone enjoy the retreat last week at St. Michael’s? One of the most moving parts was the short video Bryan Charlton showed from the movie, “Facing the Giants.”  In the brief clip, the players doubt they will be able to defeat a rival high school called Westview, and even Brock Kelly, the team’s captain, doubts the team. That’s when Coach Grant Taylor decides to demonstrate the team’s true potential with an exercise called “the death crawl.” Coach Taylor blind folds Brock and places another player on his back and challenges him to crawl on hands and feet (no knees touching the ground) and makes him promise to give his absolute best. The whole team is dumb-founded when Brock actually carries Jeremy the whole length of the football field, 100 yards. Brock was able to do more than he believed because he promised to give his absolute best.

             Robert Browning, the 19th century Victorian poet, wrote: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or, what’s a heaven for?” (from poem “Andrea del Sarto”). In other words, always attempt more than you think you can achieve, and you just might accomplish more than you thought possible. Indeed, if you go back and watch the whole movie, you’ll see that the very underdog Shiloh Christian Eagles win the state championship that year.

            In the gospel today, Jesus sounds a lot like Coach Taylor encouraging his apostles who are about to “face their own giants.” He says: “They will seize you and persecute you, they will hand you over to synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” But he goes on to assure them, like Coach Taylor did, that if they promise to give their very best, they will achieve more than they ever imagined. Jesus says: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives,” by which he means they’ll make it to heaven: to “secure your life” is to secure eternal life. Robert Browning wrote: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or, what’s a heaven for?” No one can attain the high hope of heaven without God’s grace and the promise of perseverance on our part, to give our very best.

            Let me suggest three areas where your reach should exceed your grasp, and where you should attempt what seems impossible. The first is in how you take care of your body. I have a friend who doesn’t believe in taking medicine for most of her aches and pains, but rather she teaches her children to eat healthy – plenty of fruits and vegetables! – because the human body has enormous potential, far greater than we often realize, just like Brock discovered he had greater strength when he carried a 160 pound man 100 yards. My nephew, Noah, who ran cross country and track at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, always said: “Your body will only perform as well as what you put into it. Eat well every day.” Noah ran on the Har-Ber track team holds the state record in the “four-x’s.” Your body can achieve more than you believe it can, but only with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

            Secondly, your reach should exceed your grasp in academics. You may struggle in a certain subject, like math or history, or science or Spanish. But don’t give up on your mind and promise to persevere in your studies. Scientists universally agree that human beings only tap about 10 percent of their mind’s true brain power, which means you could do 90 percent more than what you’re achieving academically today. In high school, I hated studying French: “Sacre bleu!” I couldn’t wait to be done with it. But I’ve discovered God has given me a gift for foreign languages, like God had given Brock the gift of leadership, and now I pray the priest’s prayer book, “La Liturgie des Heures,” in French every day. Your mind has far more potential than you can imagine, and you can reach that potential only with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

           Thirdly, in human relationships, especially as boyfriends and girlfriends. In the Bible, when God created the first person, Adam, he observed: “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). But how to be “together” with another person is not so easy either; we often mess up relationships. But just like you have to learn how to take care of your body, and you have to learn a new language, so, too, you have to learn how to love others. Sometimes when a relationship fails to work out, we are tempted to say, “All boys are jerks!” or “All girls are drama queens! I’m going to be a priest!” But don’t give up on relationships; God did not create you to be alone.  Nevertheless, the great joy of a fulfilling friendship is only possible with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

              St. Augustine said: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest  adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” Now that’s reaching for something beyond your grasp.

Praised be Jesus Christ!