by Matt Reinkemeyer, Director of Youth Ministry - St. Margaret of York Catholic Parish
The other night I stayed up way later than I planned on doing…. Why? Because I realized the American Ninja Warrior Season Finale was on TV. The tweet from @ninjawarrior sums it up: HISTORY. HAS. BEEN. MADE.
Yes, for the first time in 7 seasons there is a true American Ninja Warrior. To be specific though, there were two. Yes, TWO in one night. The show is based off the Japanese original called “Sasuke” in which they’ve only had 4 finishers in 31 seasons! The American version has seen 3500 contestants and only 2 have ever completed all 4 stages of the finals held in Las Vegas and they both came in the same night.
Now, a lot is being made of having not only 1, but 2 finishers, Geoff Britten and Isaac Caldiero. Technically, Caldiero is taking home the title because he completed the final 75 foot rope climb 3 seconds faster than Britten, but Britten did it first so they’re both American Ninja Warriors in my book. While having two in one night certainly was surprising and probably a huge boost to the show’s ratings, I got to thinking… Is it really that surprising to have 2 in one night?
Think about it? Aren’t things always easier after you’ve seen someone else do it first and succeed? Interestingly enough, Caldiero finished stages 2 & 3 before Britten did, but Britten was the first to complete stage 4. Did they help each other by watching someone else do it first? Think about younger siblings for a minute.
As the oldest of 6, I’m known to rant to my younger brothers (yes, all boys in my family) that things were easier for them. Take discipline for example… I wore Mom and Dad down so that they didn’t pick every little discipline battle with my brothers. My brothers should be thankful and I shouldn’t be surprised. Why shouldn’t I be surprised? Shouldn’t I say, “IT’S NOT FAIR… I would’ve never gotten away with that.” Well keep reading and you’ll understand.
Why is a youth minister rambling about American Ninja Warrior and his younger siblings you might ask? Well the reason has a lot to do with who Jesus is. He’s kind of like the first American Ninja Warrior. Ironically enough, Caldiero, who is 33 years old, dressed up like Jesus at his tryouts in Denver.
Now, I’m not saying Caldiero is Jesus. In fact, to be perfectly honest I was really rooting for Britten, but that’s a different post. What I am saying is that I was thinking to myself, “Maybe there’s something to this whole 2-winners-in-one-night thing that imitates our faith in Jesus.”
Think about it, these guys put themselves through a lot of tests to get to where they’re at. As Britten was making his last two jumps on the third stage of the course one of the announcers pointed out the sheer AGONY on his face (hint: Agony in the Garden). Furthermore, stage 4 is completed when the competitors have seemingly nothing left to give after the previous stages. By the way it’s called Mt. Midoriyama (hint: a mount called Calgary or Galgatha).
But these comparisons aren’t even really what struck me. What struck me about both of them completing the course on the same night is this:
Jesus showed us the way.
He did it first. He made it easier for us to make it to Heaven. In fact, He made it possible when it had previously been impossible. People were starting to think that reaching and beating Mt. Midoriyama was impossible and who would blame them after 7 years without a finisher. The difference is that a man made mountain of steel scaffolding and a long rope hanging from it was proven to be possible to summit. Our sin, on the other hand, was not possible to beat… not without Jesus. “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Jesus showed us the way to the top. No, not to the top of a 75 foot rope on Mt. Midoriyama, but to Heaven. The Catechism puts it this way, “The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness” (CCC 459). That same paragraph talks about how Jesus showed us that path in the Beatitudes, given on the Sermon on the Mount, and how the Father encouraged us to “Listen to him” on the mountain of the Transfiguration.
But another reason that this experience of following after Jesus to the top stuck out to me goes back to a quote that was loved by Pope St. John Paul II. He loved the mountains by the way: skiing, hiking, you name it. Anyway, the quote he loved so much goes like this: “Jesus Christ fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (Gaudium et Spes 22, literally The Joys and Hopes). This was a quote that shaped St. John Paul II’s perspective and may shed light on our fascination with American Ninja Warrior itself.
Hopefully, we watch the show for more than the epic falls, the hard bodies, and the many failures. I think deep down we love this show and shows like it because we have Hope that what is hard in this life can be beaten and we can’t deny the Joy we feel when it is. Jesus did this for us. No, He didn’t stand in line as a walk on for his shot at a million dollars by conquering Mt. Midoriyama. But, He did walk this earth for 33 years to show us a way to live and then he died and rose again so that we would know once and for all that sin and death can be beaten, that there is Hope in the name of Jesus and there is Joy eternal waiting for us at the top.
Jesus showed us the way to the top, showed us the way to be human, showed us the way to Heaven. Following him isn’t easy, but it is natural… like a younger sibling in the footsteps of his older brother or two American Ninja Warriors in one night. Following Jesus may not get you the title of American Ninja Warrior, but it will get you the title of Disciple. Keep climbing.
Matt
Now, a lot is being made of having not only 1, but 2 finishers, Geoff Britten and Isaac Caldiero. Technically, Caldiero is taking home the title because he completed the final 75 foot rope climb 3 seconds faster than Britten, but Britten did it first so they’re both American Ninja Warriors in my book. While having two in one night certainly was surprising and probably a huge boost to the show’s ratings, I got to thinking… Is it really that surprising to have 2 in one night?
Think about it? Aren’t things always easier after you’ve seen someone else do it first and succeed? Interestingly enough, Caldiero finished stages 2 & 3 before Britten did, but Britten was the first to complete stage 4. Did they help each other by watching someone else do it first? Think about younger siblings for a minute.
As the oldest of 6, I’m known to rant to my younger brothers (yes, all boys in my family) that things were easier for them. Take discipline for example… I wore Mom and Dad down so that they didn’t pick every little discipline battle with my brothers. My brothers should be thankful and I shouldn’t be surprised. Why shouldn’t I be surprised? Shouldn’t I say, “IT’S NOT FAIR… I would’ve never gotten away with that.” Well keep reading and you’ll understand.
Why is a youth minister rambling about American Ninja Warrior and his younger siblings you might ask? Well the reason has a lot to do with who Jesus is. He’s kind of like the first American Ninja Warrior. Ironically enough, Caldiero, who is 33 years old, dressed up like Jesus at his tryouts in Denver.
Now, I’m not saying Caldiero is Jesus. In fact, to be perfectly honest I was really rooting for Britten, but that’s a different post. What I am saying is that I was thinking to myself, “Maybe there’s something to this whole 2-winners-in-one-night thing that imitates our faith in Jesus.”
Think about it, these guys put themselves through a lot of tests to get to where they’re at. As Britten was making his last two jumps on the third stage of the course one of the announcers pointed out the sheer AGONY on his face (hint: Agony in the Garden). Furthermore, stage 4 is completed when the competitors have seemingly nothing left to give after the previous stages. By the way it’s called Mt. Midoriyama (hint: a mount called Calgary or Galgatha).
But these comparisons aren’t even really what struck me. What struck me about both of them completing the course on the same night is this:
Jesus showed us the way.
He did it first. He made it easier for us to make it to Heaven. In fact, He made it possible when it had previously been impossible. People were starting to think that reaching and beating Mt. Midoriyama was impossible and who would blame them after 7 years without a finisher. The difference is that a man made mountain of steel scaffolding and a long rope hanging from it was proven to be possible to summit. Our sin, on the other hand, was not possible to beat… not without Jesus. “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Jesus showed us the way to the top. No, not to the top of a 75 foot rope on Mt. Midoriyama, but to Heaven. The Catechism puts it this way, “The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness” (CCC 459). That same paragraph talks about how Jesus showed us that path in the Beatitudes, given on the Sermon on the Mount, and how the Father encouraged us to “Listen to him” on the mountain of the Transfiguration.
But another reason that this experience of following after Jesus to the top stuck out to me goes back to a quote that was loved by Pope St. John Paul II. He loved the mountains by the way: skiing, hiking, you name it. Anyway, the quote he loved so much goes like this: “Jesus Christ fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (Gaudium et Spes 22, literally The Joys and Hopes). This was a quote that shaped St. John Paul II’s perspective and may shed light on our fascination with American Ninja Warrior itself.
Hopefully, we watch the show for more than the epic falls, the hard bodies, and the many failures. I think deep down we love this show and shows like it because we have Hope that what is hard in this life can be beaten and we can’t deny the Joy we feel when it is. Jesus did this for us. No, He didn’t stand in line as a walk on for his shot at a million dollars by conquering Mt. Midoriyama. But, He did walk this earth for 33 years to show us a way to live and then he died and rose again so that we would know once and for all that sin and death can be beaten, that there is Hope in the name of Jesus and there is Joy eternal waiting for us at the top.
Jesus showed us the way to the top, showed us the way to be human, showed us the way to Heaven. Following him isn’t easy, but it is natural… like a younger sibling in the footsteps of his older brother or two American Ninja Warriors in one night. Following Jesus may not get you the title of American Ninja Warrior, but it will get you the title of Disciple. Keep climbing.
Matt