two weeks before the marathon – covers the distance of 30 kilometers. Looong way. And you run on the asphalt, because the Firenze Marathon takes place on asphalt streets and pavements. Time to get your organism ready for what’s ahead of you. This is the real solitude of a long-distance runner. You pass by the cars, people at the bus stops, the surveyors measuring something, an ambulance rushing down the street with the siren on… You run among the manifestations of ordinary life. Sometimes a gesture of human kindness and support. Rather seldom (it’s not a running route, where you meet the same people like you).
The marathon itself will be full of people running in front of you, behind you and next to you. Marathon is a celebration, joy, emotions – the end of so many weeks of training, the reward for that toil.
During our Programs we ask the participants to do homework tasks. Something to do every day – in line with the Program’s idea. In order to become a “better me”, bearing in mind him/her.
What I experience today as the loneliness of a long-distance runner is only the trainig. It is for some purpose. What’s ahead is the actual run. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). My marriage, my life, my eternity… It was worth the effort…
Fr Jay
Someone wise made this remark that marathons are terrible – too far and too long but… there’s nothing better than training for a marathon. And this is where that major difference comes to the fore. Stop running… start training. When you take to doing something, use your head. Training teaches you how to be systematic, persistent and responsible; it emphasizes the need for both: effort and taking a rest (which is also part of training). When you take such challenge as training for a marathon – you have a great opportunity to practice self-mastery.
Many people I met here had taken part in a marathon, semi-marathon or 10-kilometer race. I meet so many people on running or bike trails. They differ by age and expertise; you can also see married couples and parents with their kids.
And you can really envy the excellent running/bicycle trails they’ve got here. Near housing estates or along streams, parallel to roads connecting towns (at a reasonable distance, of course). Those trails – for runners and cyclists only, as no motor vehicels are allowed – are well-marked with all sorts of signs (e.g. warnings of the obstacles). I especially liked the last trail. It goes along an old railway embankment, so it’s perfectly straight, even, with an excellent surface – and it’s miles long. I’ve checked only 15 kilometers of that trail and there was no end to it. Definitely, when you have such great facilities, you will be encouraged to do something to keep you fit.
But when you train for a marathon, it doesn’t matter what the conditions are. What matters is that yesterday was a day of taking a rest, and today… it’s time to run.
Fr Jay
Today I was at the concert: “Music and the Spoken Word,” which has been taking place each Sunday ever since 15 July 1929.Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square played five beautiful pieces of classical choir and orchestra music.*
During the concert Lloyd D. Newell** gave a short but moving speech (and he’s been doing that on every Sunday for 22 years). And I want to write about that. He talked about this wonderful device called GPS. When you happen to take the wrong route, it says calmly: “recalculating” and gives you the way to fix the mistake. No complaint, no giving reproachful looks or sighing. It just lets you go back on track.
We all need to recalculate our plans, goals and expectations. In the whole process it’s worth to keep calm, stay nice and a bit objective towards your own self. It’s good to remember we ARE LEARNING to grow and become better – and that takes a little time. We have to realize that mistakes are stepping stones on the path to better life – and not insurmountable obstacles.
Not to mention the fact that it’s always worth to be nice. Everywhere. Have a very nice day, Dear Readers from the Harbour.
Still from Salt Lake City,
Fr. Jay
15.07.2012, 21:16 US Mountain Daylight Time
* Concert:
**Od lewej Vice-President and President of the Choir, one priest you may know, Mary Ellen Smoot and Lloyd D. Newell – the speaker.
“Patience achieves everything.” (St Teresa of Avila)
because you don’t know what to say or it’s impossible to say anything for any other reason, you can always express the most important message by your smile.
St Ursula Ledóchowska told her sisters to use that simplest kind of apostolate: “I’m teaching you a new kind of apostolate, which does not demand huge work, great mortifications and hardship, but which is – especially these days – very desired, necessary and effective, that is – the apostolate of smile.”
How good it is to smile to a child and its mum, to an elderly lady you pass by while taking a walk, when you see your husband getting back from work, or your wife, who – busy doing things – may feel your sight on her. And now you can simply smile to check how great it feels on your cheeks. And it’s worth to infect the others with your smile. At home, at work, in the street and on the journey.
🙂
Fr Jay
A man complained to his friend that whenever he went to confession he didn’t know what to say bacause… he suffered from “amnesia”. So his friend told him that he used to have the same problem until he’d found the perfect solution. When he intends to confess, he tries being unpleasant to his wife – to give her a chance to become angry and to list all the things he did wrong during the previous month. 🙂 And he’s ready to confess.
That’s the way it is – remembering the other person’s mistakes is a lot easier than recalling our own faults. And how much happier we’d be if we searched for the symptoms of our own selfishenss – and noticed all the altruistic gestures in other people’s bahvaiour.
I can assure you, we’ll be surprised by both. And our world will become so much more fascinating.
Fr. Jay
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45a)
That’s a very difficult challenge. Difficult and inconvenient. When we think of it the human way – almost impossible.
Fortunately, as christians, we don’t have to do anything on our own, using our own powers. Jesus teaches us every day to love “despite” and not “because of something”. He’s loved us endlessly – us, the sinners, the enemies. On no condition and with no merits on our part: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9)
And He, who has loved us limitlessly, teaches us how to pray for the enemies when He is brought to die on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
And He knows it’s not easy, and that it will cost us a lot, so in the time of hardship He will be with us: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of time” (Matthew 28:20).
Dosia
Success tastes great.
But it is facing the failure that is a real challenge. Because you have to cope with disappointment, sometimes anger and shame. You have to include in your self-portrait weakness, powerlessness, mistake. How much understanding have I got for our Polish national football team after their last (lost) match.
We imagine the path of our development as constatnt ascending above our limitations. But nothing teaches so good as failure, as the hard landing which finishes the flight on the wings of our own capacity.
Afterwards you can start from scratch, from the mustard seed. From learning the alphabet of love, patience and service. With Him. And it is the weakness, not success, which attracts Him to us. He can act when our self-sufficiency gives up.Our helplessness touches His heart.
Yes, we are called to ascending. In His arms, when He bends over to lift us up.*
Małgosia
*You can read in the book by little Therese of Lisieux.
“Love cannot be learned, and at the same time – nothing is more learnable than love” (blessed John Paul II)
Each day is a new chance for our love to grow. How can I show it to my family today? With a good word, an encouraging look, things I wear, an act of selfless help, cheerful spirits, gentle voice, listening to them patiently or my honest work…?
Love can be expressed in so many ways! Which of them did I give up using? Which of them would I like to use more?
How good that love is not something “ready made”, as Karol Wojtyla wrote, because there is still a chance for a more beautiful “today” and “tomorrow.” Let’s take it.
Basia
I found that motto in a book by Jerzy Skarżyński on marathons and ultramarathons. When you want to take this serious challenge as marathon is – 42.195 km of pure run – you can’t approach the subject as if it was just a morning jog to keep fit.
As a beginner, you need 27 weeks of training, scheduled in the “magic” rule of 3 x 30 x 130, meaning 3 times a week, 30 minutes each, with the pulse of 130.
That sounds very safe. We’ve got a lot of time, so we strat from walking, then we add a run-walk workout, in order to be able to cover the first 30 minutes of running at a stretch. But as soon as you’ve got registered to the marathon, paid the fees and received your starting number, the situation gets serious. From now on each time you miss the training – it is not only about giving up a jog. It’s a loss on your physical condition for which you’ll pay the price in the actual marathon. And you’ll have to pay for each day off. Believe me.
How happy I was when I’d got through the well-known crisis of the 30-31 km and I knew I’d be able to finish the run! How really happy I was! I was happy especially about those trainings when I’d been dripping with sweat, or when – during our pilgrimage with my Brothers in priesthood to the Holy Land on the 25th Anniversary of the Holy Orders – I’d set out for the training while they’d been just siiting to supper. How happy I was that I’d managed to ignore the “protective” inner voice telling me: “take a break today, it’s raining, it’s cold, you’ll run more tomorrow.” NO! You have to do today what’s for today. And you know what’s there to do, because you don’t run any more – you’ve started training.
And nothing will take your satisfaction away from you, because you didn’t compete with people – you’ve won your own weakness.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) How about your way to Heaven? Do you run, or have you started training?
Fr. Jay
