I’ve been running for almost thirty years, and from my freshman year in high school through my college days, Bob was there, standing on the starting line. Whether it was a perfect racing day, unseasonably hot, or through pounding, freezing rain, Bob would bring his energy and joy to the starting line. Each year, on Thanksgiving morning, when 15,000 runners lined up my town’s historic road race, Bob was there with his grin shining underneath a bushy mustache, his starter's pistol in his hand. Whether it was for eight sprinters about to explode out of the blocks, thirty distance runners pumped up with anxiety and adrenalin about to jostle for position going into the first turn,or seasoned professionals on the starting line with scores of runners stacked up a half mile behind them, Bob had this unique way of calming the pre-race tension, reminding us to focus while injecting a bit of humor to break the intensity. He knew us. He cared for us. His two final instructions—"Runners take your marks, and then ‘boom’ the gun” were followed by the crack of the starter’s pistol, and he would bolt to the sideline, and we’d be off.
I thought about Bob this morning while listening to the first reading at 7AM daily Mass in one of our New Haven churches. Throughout the last several days, we’ve been working through chapters 11 through 13 of St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. St. Paul moves from rebuking the Corinthian community, which was suffering from internal division due to pride, jealousy, and lack of charity; to encouraging them by reminding them of the treasure that has been handed onto them by Christ himself. Paul reminds the Corinthians, and us, that we have each been blessed with a unique role and set of gifts, not for our own gain or vainglory, but for the good of the whole Body of Christ, for the glory of God and eternal salvation.
Today we hear St. Paul's cherished treatise on love. He urges us to strive for a "more excellent way," reminding us that without love, everything else falls apart:
If I do not have love, I gain nothing, I have nothing… Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
As I reflect on Bob standing at the starting line, I realize what made him special. He truly loved what he did. And his passion brought out the best in all of us—athletes, coaches, officials. That joy, that love, was why Bob could stand there in the cold and rain with a smile on his face and the energy of someone half his age.
Bob’s life and his love for the sport remind us that no matter what we do—whether it’s ministry, sports, our studies, relationships, or marriage—we must be rooted in love. Love is what makes us show up, even on the hard days. As I pray for Bob, who has crossed the finish line of his earthly journey, I also pray for myself and for all of us. May love inspire everything we do. Because at the end of the day, without love, we can do nothing. But with love, we can believe, we can endure, we can hope, and we can strive for the more excellent way that Christ has shown us.