Here Comes Everybody

Hi, Tim here: a new voice to the Running Catholic blog. Although you may not hear from me all that regularly, I will try to try to add another perspective to the marriage of running and Catholicism.

I am not bold enough to compare myself in any way to the disciple Jesus loved, but because Chris (Cephas?) feels like Peter while running, I’ll assume the role of John and all that that entails (more swift of foot and a step behind St. Peter spiritually).

Note to self: add to my list of pilgrimages to take after retirement to run the route Mary Magdala, Peter and John ran. Anyone interested in joining me in June of 2039? We’d better stay in shape until then!

Inasmuch as the title of this blog includes the word "catholic," it seems reasonable that its authorship should not be limited to a single voice. After all, anything catholic, meaning universal, is marked by unity of many. Multiple voices should support the one-ness (catholicity) of runningcatholic.com; unity, but not uniformity.

In what ways are these runners who are Catholic, heterodox in their running? Are all runners so studly that they can pound out a dozens or more miles in a single afternoon and in excess of a hundred of mile per month? Not this runner! Are all so diligent that they run most days of the week and every weekend without exception? Not this one. Instead of basing my running knowledge on the latest running magazine or solid modern scientific knowledge, I base everything I know about running on a single 30-year old book I picked up at a thrift store for $2.

We runners are heterodox in our running, but in our catholicity we are one:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.