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15 Aug 2010 - Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cycle C

Yes, the Olympics can become very nationalistic. Yes, perhaps the games promote an unhealthy level of competition. But there is no denying that the Olympic Games carry some very dramatic images. When the top three Olympians in an event stand on the podium and their countries' flags are raised, with the winning one above the other two as their national anthem is being played, it can truly be a special moment, a wonderful symbol of an athlete rising above others in the quest for success and victory. Remember the 1980 U.S. hockey team and the chant "U.S.A." and the cry, "Do you believe in miracles?" The feast of the Assumption of Mary should elicit the same sort of visceral response from us. Mary literally rises above us as a symbol of victory--victory over sin, victory over death, victory brought about by an uncompromising faith. Mary's faith saw her through the conception and birth of her son, through Jesus' death and resurrection, to her sharing in the fire of the Holy Spirit. What happened to her later in her life is not recorded. But she probably did not just wait to die. More likely, she preached and told stories and quoted her son. She probably gave comfort and hope to those who believed in him while continually rising above all that was happening around her.

assumption of mary olympics jesus

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The hopes and fears of all the year

28 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Nearly two years ago, in April 2007, an undergraduate art student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago unveiled a papier-mache sculpture of Barack Obama as a messianic figure, titled "Blessing." David Cordero, 24, made the sculpture for his senior show after noticing all the attention Obama had received since first hinting he might run for the presidency. Run Obama did, and win he did, and his election was overwhelmingly voted the top news story of the year by U.S. editors and news directors polled by the Associated Press. But as we prepare to celebrate the Savior's birth, Obama must contend with the almost messianic-like hope that many people hold for his presidency. Artist Cordero's explanation for creating his sculpture may prove a healthy cautionary tale: "All of this is a response to what I've been witnessing and hearing, this idea that Barack is sort of a potential savior that might come and absolve the country of all its sins. In a lot of ways it's about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped." As Obama prepares to take office in a few weeks, he inherits a number of daunting challenges not of his own creation, not least of which is the nation's financial meltdown-voted the number-two story of the year in the AP poll. Obama will also be handed the long-running war in Iraq, another top-ten story of the year, not to mention the even longer-running war in Afghanistan. If that were not enough, the U.S. as well as other nations face the ongoing threat of terrorism, as demonstrated by another top story, the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, India that killed 164 people. The historic political campaigns of two women-Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin-also made the list of top-ten news stories. Though their campaigns were not victorious, both women finished the year with their political futures intact-Clinton as Obama's choice for U.S. Secretary of State, and Palin as a leading light of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. China and Russia were home to top stories of the year as well. China made the list for a triumph, its largely successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics, as well as a tragedy, a powerful earthquake in May that left more than 70,000 dead and led to the collapse of about 7,000 classrooms in shoddily built schools. The five-day Russian-Georgian war in August rounds out the list, a further reminder that Obama will inherit a number of complex and potentially volatile foreign-relations concerns. Stories that almost made the top ten included Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 84,000 people in Myanmar; Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which wreaked deadly damage in the Caribbean and on the U.S. Gulf Coast; and the seesaw fate of same-sex marriage in California, where a court ruling approving it was later overturned by a ballot measure. Several write-in votes were cast for two developments that occurred too late to be included on the AP ballot: the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the efforts of struggling U.S. automakers to get a federal bailout. The alleged financial scam involving Bernard Madoff also was revealed too late to make the ballot. Several of the editors who voted commented on how two transcendent developments dominated the news in 2008. "As far as I am concerned, there were only two stories this year," wrote Linda Grist Cunningham of the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star. "Global economy collapses (sending every country into financial, political, and personal chaos) and Obama elected U.S. president, changing the way the America does business-financial, political, and personal." Source: Articles by Joel Roberts and David Crary for the Associated Press

automakers russia beijing olympics georgia cyclone nargis myanmar hurricane gustav hurricane ike same-sex marriage california bailout bernard madoff china sarah palin hilary clinton rod blagojevich barack obama david cordero school of the art institute of chicago associated press savior iraq war afghanistan war top-ten news stories terrorism mumbai global economy
Their kind of town

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Letter to the Hebrews this Sunday speaks of the bringing of many to glory. Ending months of speculation, President Barack Obama travels to Copenhagen, Denmark Thursday night in the hope that his presence will help bring glory to his adopted hometown of Chicago. The city is among the finalists to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The president will join First Lady Michelle Obama, a Chicago native, who arrived in Copenhagen Wednesday to lend her support to Chicago's bid. The International Olympic Committee will announce its decision Friday. The First Lady drew laughs with her comment regarding their joint presentation: "We're not going to sing together or anything. . . . All I have are my stories, my experiences as a Chicagoan, as an American, as someone who believes deeply that health and fitness have got to play a greater role in the lives of our kids and our communities, and as someone who believes that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the best way to bring that message home." House Minority Leader John Boehner, however, won't be in the cheering section Friday. "Listen, I think it's a great idea to promote Chicago but he's the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago," Boehner said Wednesday. "And the problems we have here at home affect all Americans and that's where his attention ought to be." "You're darned if you do, you're darned if you don't. I'd rather be on the side of doing it," Michelle Obama told reporters, referring to her husband's Olympics decision. "One conversation or one example or illustration that connects could make a difference, and our view is we're not taking a chance." Source: Articles by Peter Slevin for the Washington Post, Jake Sherman for Politico, and Nancy Armour for Associated Press

barack obama chicago copenhagen olympics 2016 summer olympics michelle obama international olympic committee john boehner
Their kind of town

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Letter to the Hebrews this Sunday speaks of the bringing of many to glory. Ending months of speculation, President Barack Obama travels to Copenhagen, Denmark Thursday night in the hope that his presence will help bring glory to his adopted hometown of Chicago. The city is among the finalists to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The president will join First Lady Michelle Obama, a Chicago native, who arrived in Copenhagen Wednesday to lend her support to Chicago's bid. The International Olympic Committee will announce its decision Friday. The First Lady drew laughs with her comment regarding their joint presentation: "We're not going to sing together or anything. . . . All I have are my stories, my experiences as a Chicagoan, as an American, as someone who believes deeply that health and fitness have got to play a greater role in the lives of our kids and our communities, and as someone who believes that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the best way to bring that message home." House Minority Leader John Boehner, however, won't be in the cheering section Friday. "Listen, I think it's a great idea to promote Chicago but he's the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago," Boehner said Wednesday. "And the problems we have here at home affect all Americans and that's where his attention ought to be." "You're darned if you do, you're darned if you don't. I'd rather be on the side of doing it," Michelle Obama told reporters, referring to her husband's Olympics decision. "One conversation or one example or illustration that connects could make a difference, and our view is we're not taking a chance." Source: Articles by Peter Slevin for the Washington Post, Jake Sherman for Politico, and Nancy Armour for Associated Press

barack obama chicago copenhagen olympics 2016 summer olympics michelle obama international olympic committee john boehner
Winter Olympics open on sad note

21 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in the gospel this Sunday that when Jesus was led into the desert the devil tried to tempt him with promises of glory. This fortnight athletes from around the world compete for Olympic glory in Vancouver, Canada. Not all is triumph, however; before the Games opened, tragedy struck when a Georgian luger died during a training accident. Twenty-one-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his luge on the final turn of the course, the world’s fastest, and slammed into a steel support at 90 miles per hour shortly before the opening of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Kumaritashvili had earlier called his father to say he was worried about the track. “He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns,’ ” said David Kumaritashvili in an interview at his house in the small mountain town of Bakuriani. The International Luge Federation has blamed the crash on the luger and not on any “deficiencies in the track,” saying that Kumaritashvili “did not compensate properly to make the correct entrance” into the curve where he slid off the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Despite those assertions, Olympic officials took unusual measures to slow the speeds, and they altered the run to keep lugers on the track should they crash. Josef Fendt, president of the luge federation, said that the track is safe but that it had turned out to be far faster than designers ever intended it to be. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili expressed annoyance at the luge federation for saying Kumaritashvili died because of human error and said a new luge track would be built in Bakuriani and named in his honor. “I don’t claim to know all the technical details,” Saakashvili said, “but one thing I know for sure: No sports mistake is supposed to lead to a death.” An article by Samantha Shields for the Wall Street Journal

georgia olympics vancouver olympics luge nodar kumaritashvili international luge federation whistler sliding centre josef fendt mikheil saakashvili
Winter Olympics open on sad note

21 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in the gospel this Sunday that when Jesus was led into the desert the devil tried to tempt him with promises of glory. This fortnight athletes from around the world compete for Olympic glory in Vancouver, Canada. Not all is triumph, however; before the Games opened, tragedy struck when a Georgian luger died during a training accident. Twenty-one-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his luge on the final turn of the course, the world’s fastest, and slammed into a steel support at 90 miles per hour shortly before the opening of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Kumaritashvili had earlier called his father to say he was worried about the track. “He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns,’ ” said David Kumaritashvili in an interview at his house in the small mountain town of Bakuriani. The International Luge Federation has blamed the crash on the luger and not on any “deficiencies in the track,” saying that Kumaritashvili “did not compensate properly to make the correct entrance” into the curve where he slid off the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Despite those assertions, Olympic officials took unusual measures to slow the speeds, and they altered the run to keep lugers on the track should they crash. Josef Fendt, president of the luge federation, said that the track is safe but that it had turned out to be far faster than designers ever intended it to be. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili expressed annoyance at the luge federation for saying Kumaritashvili died because of human error and said a new luge track would be built in Bakuriani and named in his honor. “I don’t claim to know all the technical details,” Saakashvili said, “but one thing I know for sure: No sports mistake is supposed to lead to a death.” An article by Samantha Shields for the Wall Street Journal

georgia olympics vancouver olympics luge nodar kumaritashvili international luge federation whistler sliding centre josef fendt mikheil saakashvili
The Olympic spirit, then and now

05 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“We will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength,” the psalmist promises this Sunday. With deeds of strength, speed, and agility on display at the Olympic Games, athletics rightly takes center stage, but religion also has a role to play; in fact, the quadrennial festivities are steeped in religious traditions.A 200-yard footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, warring Greek city-states laid down their arms every four years in Olympia to honor Zeus through sports, sacrifices, and hymns.It was the emphasis on worship of Zeus that led Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, to ban the Olympics in 393 A.D. It wasn’t until 1896 that Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in Athens after excavations at Olympia renewed public interest in the athletics and pageantry of the Olympics.While the festival began in honor a single deity, organizers of the modern Olympics must navigate dozens of sacred fasts, religious rituals, and holy days. The London Olympics is accommodating religious athletes with 193 chaplains, a prayer room in every venue, and a multifaith center in the Olympic Village."I was very moved last week when the Christian chaplains on the team helped their Muslim colleagues prepare a large hall for the Friday prayers of Ramadan,” said Anglican canon Duncan Green, who in a radio address at the outset of the games called on people everywhere to live together in peace and harmony in the spirit of the Olympic Games.“A young Muslim man hugged me for providing such a facility. This week, I've witnessed young men and women from all over the world living side by side, greeting one another, making new friends, laughing, and sharing their love of sport. I pray that the world will watch and learn to live in harmony," Green said. Sources: Articles by Chris Lisee for Religion News Service and Ecumenical News International

olympics sports london olympics 2012 zeus theodosius i duncan green
The Olympic spirit, then and now

05 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“We will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength,” the psalmist promises this Sunday. With deeds of strength, speed, and agility on display at the Olympic Games, athletics rightly takes center stage, but religion also has a role to play; in fact, the quadrennial festivities are steeped in religious traditions.A 200-yard footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, warring Greek city-states laid down their arms every four years in Olympia to honor Zeus through sports, sacrifices, and hymns.It was the emphasis on worship of Zeus that led Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, to ban the Olympics in 393 A.D. It wasn’t until 1896 that Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in Athens after excavations at Olympia renewed public interest in the athletics and pageantry of the Olympics.While the festival began in honor a single deity, organizers of the modern Olympics must navigate dozens of sacred fasts, religious rituals, and holy days. The London Olympics is accommodating religious athletes with 193 chaplains, a prayer room in every venue, and a multifaith center in the Olympic Village."I was very moved last week when the Christian chaplains on the team helped their Muslim colleagues prepare a large hall for the Friday prayers of Ramadan,” said Anglican canon Duncan Green, who in a radio address at the outset of the games called on people everywhere to live together in peace and harmony in the spirit of the Olympic Games.“A young Muslim man hugged me for providing such a facility. This week, I've witnessed young men and women from all over the world living side by side, greeting one another, making new friends, laughing, and sharing their love of sport. I pray that the world will watch and learn to live in harmony," Green said. Sources: Articles by Chris Lisee for Religion News Service and Ecumenical News International

olympics sports london olympics 2012 zeus theodosius i duncan green
Fact of the week

12 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This year's Olympic “gold” medal is only 1.34 percent gold. The rest is made up of 92.5 percent silver and 6.16 percent copper. The modern Olympics have not awarded a solid gold medal since 1912. Sources: CNBC and neh.gov

olympics gold medals
Let us “strive together” for international peace

21 Aug 2016 - Preaching the News for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

This Sunday’s readings feature the Lord promising the prophet Isaiah that “I come to gather nations of every language.” Every four years, nations of every language gather for the Summer Olympics, which are concluding this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the games were about to open this year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon participated in the Olympic Torch Relay in Rio after the historic torch had made its quadrennial journey from Greece, where the games were born more than 2,000 years ago and revived late in the 19th century. Ban congratulated the athletes and the fans saying, “The Olympics and Paralympics celebrate the best of humanity.” “Let us all do more to uphold the ideals of equality and mutual respect. Let us build prosperity and dignity for all on a healthy planet,” he added. In his message for the games, Ban highlighted the fact that the UN also works for global harmony and peace. “In that spirit, we proclaim the Olympic Truce,” he said, adding: “We call on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and put aside their differences during the Games.” Earlier, the secretary-general met with the Olympic Refugee Team. He saluted the athletes’ work and determination, telling them: “You are a source of inspiration for all of us.” Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, more than 200 national teams have vied for glory at the Summer and Winter Games. This year for the first time a team of refugees competed as well. The first-ever Refugee Olympic Athletes team includes two Syrian swimmers, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a marathoner from Ethiopia, and five middle-distance runners from South Sudan. “Their participation in the Olympics is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees in overcoming adversity and building a better future for themselves and their families,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “UNHCR stands with them and with all refugees.” The initiative comes at a time when more people than ever—59.5 million at last count—are being forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. The squad representing them in Rio hopes to give the world a glimpse of their resilience and untapped talent. The Olympic Summer Games’ power of unification is so strong that it can apparently bring together North and South Korea—at least briefly. During a gymnastics training session on Thursday, a photographer captured a photo of Lee Eun-Ju of South Korea posing with Hong Un Jong of North Korea for a selfie. Despite hostilities between North and South Korea, the tension is not evident between the two competitors at the Olympic gym in Rio. In the photo, Lee is making a peace sign with her hand. “In the past, North Korean athletes avoided conversation not only with the athletes, but also with the reporters from South Korea. However this summer, they greeted South Korean athletes with more hospitality,” reported Korean-American newspaper Korea Daily. The interaction has been praised as a demonstration of the true spirit of the Olympics. The Olympics haven’t been able to cut through all international conflicts. Members of the Lebanese delegation reportedly blocked their Israeli counterparts from boarding a bus they were assigned to share en route to the opening ceremony of the games, and a few days ago, defeated Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby was loudly booed when he refused to shake hands with his Israeli rival. At his weekly general audience leading up to the Olympics, Pope Francis called on athletes to exemplify the unity of the human race during the event. He urged Olympians not to consider winning medals as the ultimate prize, but instead to encapsulate a civilization in which solidarity takes precedence. The pope said it was possible to create a society “based on the acknowledgment that everyone is a member of the same human family, independent of culture, skin color, and religion.” Francis also praised the Brazilian society for hosting the Olympics hoping that, by working together, it could overcome its difficulties and lead to a more just and safe country. Lessons drawn from the readings Jesus reminds us in this Sunday’s gospel that “some who are first will be last, and some who are last will be first.” The Olympics are about more than winning and losing, as Pope Francis pointed out. Yes, they showcase great athletic skill but they also transcend sport. They offer a vision of athletes from around the world uniting in a common effort, “striving together” not only to be the best athletes they can be but also to be model citizens. Though occasionally an athlete or even an entire nation will fall short of the ideal, the vast majority enter into the true spirit of the games as a time to compete fairly and to celebrate what unites us rather than what divides us. Final thought in light of the news Heather Reid, professor of philosophy at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa offers this perspective on the meaning of the Olympics: “There’s something about this collective experience of striving together, which is what the word competito in Latin means, to strive together,” says Reid. “It’s very hard to watch the Olympic Games and not be inspired by what humans are capable of and their ability to overcome their political differences.”

2016 summer olympics ban ki-moon Unity Refugee Olympic Athletes unification olympic games international conflicts

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