Virgin Mary ‘Crosses the Finish Line’ with Olympic Gold Runner
August 11, 2012 9 Comments
Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar provided one of the most emotional moments of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games when she crossed the finish line in the 5000 meter race to win the gold.
She then pulled a picture of the Virgin Mary out from under her jersey, showed it to the cameras and held it up to her face in deep prayer.
An Orthodox Christian, Defar entrusted her race to God with the sign of the cross and reached the finish line in 15:04:24, beating her fellow Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the favorite to win.
A teary-eyed Defar proudly showed the picture of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus that she carried with her for the entire race…
Putting your faith on display. Speaking of which, may I suggest you check out BBC’s Censorship of Usain Bolt’s Christian Faith posted by Fr Tim Finigan.
Blogger “Cranmer” asks Why does the BBC ignore Usain Bolt’s God? It is a good question. Usain Bolt always makes the sign of the cross before each race, offers a prayer and then openly gives thanks to God after he has won. As Cranmer says:
The BBC have known for more than four years what Usain Bolt always does, before and after each race, without fail: how he chooses the moment the camera is on him to make the act of humble worship, as a very public witness that it is the Creator who made him fast. They have been briefed to bits by Bolt’s PR team and by members of his family: Usain Bolt is a Bible-believing, God-honouring, Jesus-worshipping Christian. But not a whisper from the BBC; not a word of explanation of the real significance of these ‘moments to himself’.
Thanks to the censorship of Bolt’s Christian identity, many people might simply assume that because his name is a bit like “Hussein”, he must be Muslim.
There may well have been some talk on the radio about his faith, but it is excluded from the multi-billion viewer coverage.
About Fr Stephen Smuts
God Bless Meseret Defar and Usain Bolt!
Did you know, that several Christian athletes from the United States have become a subject of ridicule as well?
People blame track and field athlete Lori Jones’ performance on her virginity. After winning 4th place 100-meter hurdles, many of her critics took to twitter and, using profanity, suggested that if she was sexually active, she would have performed better. Lori Jones is a devout Christian who vowed to remain a virgin until marriage.
The Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas is being mocked by the liberal media for thanking God because of the Gold Medals she received. She’s being criticized for being “so into Jesus” while mockingly asking “What is Jesus going to do now” for Gabrielle Douglas’ career.
That’s really odd about the whole virgin thing. I’m doing what she’s doing and I find that in this day and age, it’s a discipline that, while I am as girly as any girl, has made me rather hard driven and and staunch in not just my faith and morality, but in other areas like school work and such. I have a will of steel. Society, don’t tell me it’s too hard, or that we’re nothing but animals with ‘drives’, every single day I’m not doing what the world is not doing and I’m just fine–I’m doing what full grown men, twice my size, and powerful women with twice my intellect cannot do. I wouldn’t be surprise if Ms. Lori Jones has a will of steel because of her commitment. After all, when you work a muscle it only get’s stronger–when you go another day doing the right thing, your will strengthens. Perhaps the liberal folks are jealous because deep down they know that letting lose with passion is what dulls the mind and endurance–look at society at large, so absorbed in entertainment and instant fun, seeking the easy way out and the route with most comfort. Ms. Jones may not have won, but at least she got to the Olympics. Can any of her critics say the same?
God bless you, madam! Every resistance against temptation is an act of worship!
Let us follow the examples of these good athletes, and most importantly, the Man who took away all the sins of the world by carrying His Cross and even stumbling uphill to Calvary, without food or rest, and being obedient until His last breath.
Reblogged this on The Lamehousewife Blog and commented:
How cool is that!
Reblogged this on Gracie's Quest and commented:
Leaving a witness for the world to see. So should we all.
Talented, driven, athletic and not afraid to profess their belief in God……..that’s why they’re winners. God bless them.
I was dying when I saw this. Just dying. I held up my fist when I saw her cross herself in the beginning. Then she pulls the move with the icon! It was so much for me that it took a while to sink in. An hour later while I was thinking about it, I was holding back tears. That’s why I found this blog. I just wanted to see if other Catholic’s saw what I saw. She has inspired me to visibly make the sign of the cross as I walk across the stage next spring when I graduate with my bachelors, 2.5 years later when I get my masters, and 3 years after that when I get my PhD. None of it would be possible without God, the Holy Mother, the Saints, and of course Christ and like her, after all my prayers before tests, and before the beginning of semesters, I have to give a visible sign of thanks, and call attention to them.
Two thumbs up for the Blessed Mother her child who ran with her.
Mother Mary come to the aid of your children whenever they call on you. Mother of Christain