Following in the Fresh Tracks of JP II

I don't think Pope John Paul II ever attempted snowboarding (though I wouldn't be surprised) but he loved skiing. A group of JP Catholic students and faculty ventured to Wolf Creek Resort near Durango Colorado to enjoy the pristine beauty of the Rocky Mountains while hurling themselves down hill at rediculous speeds! Praise God, all returned unharmed:)

What if Michael Jordan Was a Devout Catholic?

Here's a morsel for thought. How would the world be different if Michael Jordan (or Tiger Woods or any sports mega-star) was a devout Catholic? It is impossible to say with any precision, but I am willing to go as far as suggesting it would not be worse off.

Like it or not, in our entertainment and media driven culture, sports stars command the attention of an adoring public. They have a platform. People, particularly kids, want to be like them, "to be like Mike" as the jingle goes. It would be a grand sight indeed to find young people filling up the pews during Eucharistic Adoration to be like Mike.

Which reminds me, don't forget to check out CatholicAthletesforChrist.com . There you will find some athletes who are offering themselves and their celebrity to Jesus to use as He wishes. Which, of course, is a very good thing.

New Links in the New Links Area

Be sure to stop by AJ Kueneman's and Tim Evans' blogs.

New Section For Links -->

Check out the new link section in the sidebar: JPCatholic Student and Faculty Websites.

Jesus Was a College Basketball Player

Of course our Lord Jesus Christ didn't play college basketball, but the actor who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ certainly did. Long before he became an actor, Jim Caviezel's first passion was basketball and he even played a couple of seasons for Bellevue Community College.

"I didn't want to be an actor. I wanted to be a basketball player. God gives you a talent and you have to follow through on it."

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), a foot injury cut Jim's basketball career short and he focused on acting.

For the record, should this blog post ever make it's way to Mr. Caviezel, there is a standing invitation from JP Catholic University for him to come shoot some hoops whenever he is in San Diego.

Let it Snow!

Some of the JP Catholic gang are skiing at Wolf Creek Resort near Durango, CO. It looks like the skiing is excellent:

Current Snowfall
Summit Base Depth : 87 inches
Last 24 Hours : 4 inches
Last 48 Hours : 9 inches
Last 72 Hours : 9 inches

I am quite jealous.

Well Said Coach Dungy

Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy after the Colts Super Bowl win yesterday:

"The Lord doesn't always take you in a straight line," Dungy said. "He doesn't always take a direct path. I think he tests you sometimes to see if you're going to keep the faith and hang in there and I think we did. We did as an organization and it's just such a great feeling to get, to win this game.

"It's not the biggest thing in the world, but … it feels great."

I'm still looking for the exact quote but he also said something to the effect that while it is nice to be the first black coach to win the Super Bowl, the best part of he and Bear's Coach Lovie Smith's (who is also black) participation was that it showed that two Christian guys who do things the right way can be successful.

Way to go Coach!