A Reflection for Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
“Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something…” (1 Cor 1: 27-28)
Find today’s readings here.
Stephen Curry’s early basketball career was plagued with ankle injuries. The Golden State point guard twisted them again and again on the court. It got so bad that, in 2011, a surgeon had to rebuild two ligaments in his right ankle “that had stretched apart like a rotting sweater.” In the following season he went on to sprain his ankle five times over the course of 26 games. The constant injuries were an ominous sign, and threatened to usher Curry to an early exit from his basketball career.
It was not feasible for Steph to simply rely on surgery and physical therapy to continually repair the damage done. He needed a more preventative solution. Curry had to change the very way he approached mobility on the court. He was forced to move away from relying on his ankles for his quick turns and misdirections and develop his core strength. He learned to use his hips for power and take pressure off his ankles.
He reshaped his workout regime to develop his core, his glutes and his hamstrings. This turned Curry into a vastly stronger and less injury-prone athlete. It helped him transform from an athlete with great potential to one whose great potential was being realized nightly. Said Warriors executive Bob Myers about the injuries and Curry’s response to the injuries: “It made Steph what he is now.”
And what is he now? The greatest shooter the game has ever seen, with two MVP’s, four NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal over his fifteen years as a professional basketball player.
I fully admit: I have built this Scripture reflection around Steph Curry mainly because I just wanted to write about Steph Curry. He is such a joy to watch on the court. Employing Curry for scriptural insights gives me cover to spend “legitimate” time at work watching his highlight videos. (Four three-pointers in the last three minutes against France? Are you kidding me?)
But I also bring up Curry because I do think about those injuries of his every so often. And how what could have been a career-ender became transformed into something that probably prolonged his career–and ended up making him a better ballplayer. How our diminishment can sometimes be transformed into our strength.
There is an implicit irony in all Bible passages about the mighty being brought low. Consider Hannah’s proclamation when she dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord: “The bows of the warriors are broken” and “Those who were full hire themselves out for food.” Or Mary’s Magnificat: “He shall fill the hungry with good things and the rich he shall send away empty.”
Today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians picks up the same theme. “God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong…the lowly and despised of the world…to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human might boast before God.”
These kinds of passages are ironic because it is not merely the poor and lowly that God is promising to lift up. God is also laying the groundwork for the rich and powerful themselves to rise up again. But this time they have a chance to be raised up in the spirit of the Lord, leaving behind their old tricks and outsized egos.
Steph Curry (Here’s the transition between Curry and Scripture. Let’s see if we can pull this off.) was on the way to becoming a broken athlete. His body was shamed, you could say, by nagging injuries. He was reduced to the verge of being yet another washed up talent headed to an early retirement.
And yet, for Curry, being reduced to nothing was ultimately a great gift. It made him a better player. (One of the greatest of all time, to be exact.)
So can it be for any of us, if we embrace that reduction. Maybe not the greatest of all time, but still. If we make friends with humility and realize our old way of doing things is not working out anymore, we have a chance to transform ourselves and spin pain into gold. (O.K., I think this analogy is working.)
It is not just that the poor are given a chance to live on top, it is that the mighty also have a chance to start over, relying on God alone.
(And if this reflection does nothing more than spur you to watch the last three minutes of the gold-medal game, I’ve done my job.)
