By Father Casey

I am an Olympics mega-fan. At age 6, my mom took me to see the Olympic torch as it was carried through the town in California where we lived, on its way to Los Angeles for the 1984 Summer Games, and I've been hooked ever since. I cheer for a few professional teams, I root for the Texas Longhorns, but nothing quite compares to the joy I feel watching athletes from around the world compete at the Olympics.

Not even the bruhaha over the Opening Ceremony could dampen my spirit. For a few days, all anyone seemed to want to talk about was their outrage – outrage at a perceived aggression against the Christian faith, followed by outrage at the people feeling outraged. It was a sad sort of outrage loop, predicated on our societal habituation to take sides the minute anyone complains about anything. I hope we'll all remember that outrage is often manufactured, and we can choose to see things with more nuance than our social media feeds typically exhibit. Thankfully, once the athletes began competing, the outrage faded and we could return to the joy and wonder of the games.

I love watching gold medal performances. The excellence of these athletes, what they are capable of doing with their bodies, often defies comprehension. I mean, who can watch synchronized diving without utter amazement? Or witness Simone Biles exhibit her greatness and not jump up and cheer?

But to be honest, my favorite moments are the ones of intense courage and resilience. Like the Brazilian gymnast, Flavia Saraiva, who suffered a hard fall on the uneven bars during her warmup, but minutes later, her eye swollen and bleeding, jumped back on those bars and performed a nearly flawless routine.

Or Suni Lee, the American gymnast and all-around gold medalist from Tokyo, who has been battling a severe kidney illness in recent years. She only returned to competition six months ago, but you'd hardly know that by the way she performed in recent days. Her tenacity and bravery in coming back from a devastating setback are, to me, far more impressive than the medals she earns.

Honestly, all the athletes amaze me, and I see the glory of God in them, especially the ones who will never appear on a Wheaties box, or become a household name. More than 11,000 athletes will compete in Paris, but only about 400 of them will go home with a medal. Yet, they have all sacrificed immensely to be there, and they have dedicated themselves to fulfilling their potential. They exemplify what it looks like to be fully alive, and to paraphrase Irenaeus, that is where God's true glory may be seen. So if we are willing to look for more than medals, but for inspiring instances of marvelous human beings conjuring the very best of themselves, we'll see God's glory abounding.