There are normally a number of spiritual lessons that can be taken from the experience of the athletes at the Winter Olympics every four years. Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, for example, gave the United States and the entire world a lesson on perseverance in the recently concluded games of 2022. After taking a large lead in the Snowboard Cross final in the 2006 Olympic Games, Jacobellis lost the race when she fell (after making an unnecessary celebratory move just a few yards before the finish line). Her failure was repeated at the Olympics of 2010, 2014, and 2018. But, to her credit, Lindsey never gave up, and in 2022 her perseverance and determination were finally rewarded with a gold medal.
We will need that same virtue of perseverance as we pass through the holy season of Lent, which begins next week on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time for us to draw closer to the Lord through prayer, self-denial and works of charity, and most people are faithful to these disciplines at the beginning of the season. But many fail to persevere in them, such that, when Lent is over, they are not the better versions of themselves that they wanted to be.
Perseverance is one of the keys to a successful Lent. It’s also one of the keys to living a holy and fruitful Christian life. Actually, persevering during the season of Lent is a great way to train yourself to persevere in the faith throughout the year. Here, we need to remember that the prize we’re seeking in our perseverance is eternal life with Jesus Christ — something which is far, far more valuable than any medal made of gold.
