I often try to view Catholicism and Christianity through lens of motivation. Motivating language at times can come across as cheesy or lame or futile, failing at the hands of those who actually do need positive reinforcement. But that mostly comes from secular motivation, with no context spiritually or religiously.
That’s where St. Paul comes in. His letters to the Corinthians are stock full of encouragement and motivation. Whether it’s through encouragement for our generosity towards others. (2 Corinthians 9) That all will be made new and alive because of the resurrection of our Lord. (1 Corinthians 15) Or the fact that if we want to honor God, we do so through everything we do. All of our actions are meant to be at the greater glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10) One of the most daunting passages to take from St. Paul comes when he writes about having “a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” His response? So what? I’ve got God.
I’ve been reflecting on this passage after reading about it in Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C. Pray Like A Champion: Sacred Stories from the Sidelines of Notre Dame Football. (So all credit for this goes to him.) Fr. Wills wrote about one of his interactions with former Notre Dame linebacker Bo Bauer. Having endured an injury plagued final graduate season in 2022, Fr. Wills kept close with Bauer. He goes on to tell the story that Bauer believed in the saying, “no bad days,” something his best friend shared with him in high school, and that that saying was his motivation to get through his injury, still workout with the team in the weight room, and get back on the field one day.
Now, is this really possible? Can we really have no bad days? I’m sure the day that Bauer injured his knee in practice was not a great day. This is the case for thousands of athletes. Yet, Fr. Wills goes on to say that it is our mindset that dictates how we accept these discouraging moments of our lives, and reframe them into positives rather than negatives. This is the connection Fr. Wills made to 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
“7 I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
When I read “for Christ’s sake,” I laughed and opted to read in the slang, often jokingly way we use that term sometimes. (Because that’s where we got it! It’s in the Bible!) So, “for Christ’s sake, get back up and trust in God! God has you!” Because even when we have moments that might derail our days, or difficulties that we have to deal with (family issues, conflicts at work, health concerns, losses, etc.), choosing to live in that discouragement, allowing that “thorn in [our] flesh” to overwhelm us and continue to “torment” us, allows Satan to keep us weak. Bauer opted for the motivation from St. Paul, choosing to take comfort in the belief that Christ’s power rests on us, taking delight in the fact that “life happens” sometimes, no one lives without struggle, and that even through that, we can still be strong because Christ is more powerful than any thorn that comes our way.
I was also reflecting on this passage and story from Fr. Wills because I, like thousands of teachers, am about to start another academic year this month. Some teachers will disagree with this, but this “no bad days” mindset is integral to working with students, both in and outside the classroom. They all deserve and need our best. There’s that other saying that is one word off: “No off days.” Yes, students, no matter the grade level, bring about challenges that sometimes we aren’t prepared for. Does that mean we allow those challenges, things that might derail our days from keeping us from having a bad day? St. Paul tells us not to! Bo Bauer would believe in that, as well. “Delight weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It all comes down to believing in yourself, the mindset that we are all strong enough. Letting yourself be discouraged, frustrated, angry even, lets that “thorn” in your side dictate yourself being weak.
In Catholic terms, it’s a sacramental mentality! The body of Christ we receive at mass every week, or God willing every day, is the power we need to allow ourselves to be strong through those life derailments. Jonathan Roumie, the Catholic actor who portrays Jesus Christ in The Chosen, says that, “The Eucharist for is healing. The Eucharist for me is peace. The Eucharist for me is His heart within me.” Because when we receive the Eucharist, God’s strength and power heals us and blesses us with God’s mercy. I don’t think we can have a bad day after that!
One more great example is from another former Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te’o. A Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2012, Te’o was the main focus of a Netflix documentary, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, which uncovered the story of Te’o’s online relationship with someone who portrayed a faux identity and how it turned his promising football career upside down. But in the final monologue from Te’o, he shares this: “I’ll take all this crap. I’ll take all the jokes. I’ll take all the memes. So that I can be an inspiration to one who needs me to be. I will be rise above all of that, no matter how hard it is for me.”
Te’o, through his outspoken, profound faith in Christ, is a great example of what it means to be strong in the Lord, taking any invitation of challenge from God to rely more fully on his grace and find the strength that comes from God alone. Fr. Wills puts it this way: “resent or reframe.” Are we going to sit and rot in this difficulty? Or are we going to reframe the challenge that sits before us as a way to become stronger, rise above it, and be the best version of ourselves God wants us to be for others? Bo Bauer chose the latter because he needed to be there for his team even if he couldn’t be on the field. Manti Te’o has chosen the latter because his community, his fans need an example of what true humility and strength look like. We can also do the same, through the power and strength of the Eucharist, and have “no bad days.”
A.M.D.G.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder🙌🏼