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Page 2 • Faith Today
Swifter, higher, stronger
By Father Robert Sherry
NC News Service
When I played baseball in the
Pony League while growing up in
Aurora, Ill., I once hit a grand
slam home run. The ball sailed
over the electrical wires strung
between the tops of the high lamp
poles. Many people said it was the
longest ball they’d ever seen hit. I
was about 13-
Of course, today’s record is
tomorrow’s starting point, as I
would have abundant oppor
tunities to realize later.
During the games of the 23rd
Olympiad in Los Angeles this sum
mer, record after record was brok
en as the athletes prov ed themsel
ves swifter, higher, stronger.
It makes you wonder: Is there
any limit to human potential?
How is human potential
discovered and unleashed?
Christians believe that each per
son is gifted with a personal voca
tion — a special and unique call
ing. The talent is usually hidden
within a person to be discovered
like a treasure.
The rub is that it is hidden. For
some people it might have been
covered over by years of hearing
someone sav: “You'll never
amount to anything’’ or “You
can’t do that.’’
Others never had a sense of
achievement. Perhaps no one of
fered them any recognition. It
could be that a person had no
sense of personal responsibility,
little chance for advancement or
personal growth — important fac
tors that help us unleash our
potential.
One college senior was wonder
ing what she would do after com
mencement. After 16 years of
schooling she didn’t have much
sense of who she was or where
she was headed. It happened that
she picked up a magazine and
spotted two multiple-choice ques
tions that started her thinking.
The first asked: What is the
most effective way to discover
human potential — by scientific
testing; trial and error; reading
books; a special program; or
through the assistance of a men
tor, coach or guidance counselor?
The second asked about the best
way to unlock human potential. Is
it by exercise or through prayer
and meditation? What about self-
discipline?
The young woman realized she
never had thought about all this.
Yet when she reflected on some
others in her graduating class, she
realized they had definite plans
for what they would do after they
received their diplomas. It seemed
as though they had found a way
to discover and unleash their
potential.
In “Seasons of a Man’s Life,”
Daniel Levinson says a person bet-
By Father John Castelot
NC News Service
Photos of the Earth taken from
space reveal a luminous little
sphere as cold and lonely as the
moon. Viewed from space, our
world — which used to seem so
enormous and whose problems
still seem almost overwhelming —
suddenly looks tiny and
insignificant.
Many centuries ago a man gaz
ing out into space gave voice to
these thoughts: “When I behold
your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars
which you set in place, what is
man that you should be mindful
of him or the son of man that you
should care for him?’’ (Psalm
8:4-5).
But — and this is the surprising
point — it was not humanity’s in
significance that stunned the an
cient writer as he looked into the
stars. What struck him was quite
ween the ages of 18 and 30 has
four tasks to perform.
—Dreaming comes first. We
create tomorrows by what we
dream today.
—Second, it is vital to form a
relationship with someone who is
helpful as a guide — someone to
talk with at times.
—Third is discovering an oc
cupation — choosing from among
your dreams.
—Fourth is forming close, sup
portive relationships.
Perseverance and commitment
are among other factors that help
to unlock a person’s potential, I
think.
The Buffalo News once said: “A
man can fail many times, but he
isn’t a failure until he starts to
blame somebody else.”
And Goethe, the 19th-century
the opposite: humanity’s enor
mous importance.
Of no other creature was it
said, as it is said of man and
woman: “In the divine image he
created them’’ (Genesis 1:27).
A sense of wonder at humani
ty’s value swept over the psalmist.
“You have made him little less
than the angels, and crowned him
with glory and honor. You have
given him rule over the works of
your hands, putting all things
under his feet; all sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, the fishes of
the sea and whatever swims the
paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:6-9).
Now, to be made in God’s im
age and likeness means that
humanity is given a share in God’s
creative love and power. People
are co-creators.
And God is eternally active and
creative. A sign of this is found in
the ongoing development and
growth — the ongoing creation —
author of “Faust,” said:
“Whatever you can do, or dream
you can, begin it. Boldness has
genius, power and magic in it.”
God gave us great potential, for
we are created in his likeness.
Moreover, we have the tools to
discover and unleash our potential.
That doesn’t mean God will
stop us from falling. Rather, God
always picks us up.
As my friends at the manage
ment research group known as
Selection Research Inc. say: We
must focus on excellence, study
our success and move from our
strengths.
(Father Sherry is director of the
U.S. bishops’ Committee on
Priestly Formation.)
of each human person.
No person is a finished, static
product, like a car rolling off an
assembly line. The only change
the car will undergo is deteriora
tion — and depreciation!
A human being, on the other
hand, never stops growing
physically, intellectually, emo
tionally, spiritually.
In short, each person is a bun
dle of possibilities. Those
possibilities become actualities
when people exercise their free
will — when they make choices.
In fact, every single choice a
person makes, no matter how ap
parently unimportant, is creative
— or destructive. Like a hammer
blow on metal, every choice
molds our characters and per
sonalities; it creates us.
We are, with God’s help, “cap
tains of our souls.” Of course,
there are circumstances in life
over which people have no con-
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