Monday, March 21, 2016

March Passion

Even though I have had my NCAA brackets busted, (thanks, Arkansas-Little Rock and Middle Tennessee State!) I still enjoyed watching basketball this weekend. I am always intrigued by how the hard work and preparation of a team during the regular season translates into results during the tournament.

Sticking with basketball and the theme of practice, I am reminded of current NBA star and former NCAA Tournament stand out at Davidson, Steph Curry. Playing for the Golden State Warriors, the reigning league MVP has one of the best shots in basketball. It didn't happen by accident. At 6' 3", Curry is not overly tall for an NBA player--Michael Jordan was 6' 6"--and he had to change his shooting style in high school to compete with taller players. He is also known by his coaches to be a relentless practice player coming up with innovative ways to keep himself engaged and competitive.

Finally, he has become a great shooter because he takes so many shots in practice--somewhere in the 1000's. He sets a goal to make a certain percentage and he keeps shooting until he reaches his goal. In one famous session, he made 77 three point shots in a row. By the end, he made 94 out of 100. Shooting for him is automatic. 

So why all this basketball talk? As we enter Holy Week, ending with Easter this Sunday, I think it is a good frame of reference for our students to think about leading a Catholic life. How often do we "practice" a Catholic response or reaction to what life presents to us? Steph Curry did not become a prolific shooter by practicing one hour a week. How can we expect to be prolific Catholics if the Mass is the only time we devote to God each week.

Being a good Catholic requires daily practice. One of the best ways we can practice is through prayer. I challenged the students this morning at assembly, and I challenge all of you to spend an extra five minutes this week in prayer. Holy Week is like March Madness for the Catholic Church and Easter is our championship game. Hopefully, by spending extra time in prayer, we can make our hearts ready for the Big Dance.








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