By REY FLORES
Philip Rivers: Passion and Purpose by Joan Rivers and Patrice Lappert. Available at www.SophiaInstitute.com, or by calling Sophia Institute Press at 1-800-888-9344.
Passion and purpose. Those two words alone should be engraved in our minds as we take on the challenges of everyday life. Passion for doing what we do with a true sense of purpose.
In this aptly titled book, we examine the passion and purpose of eight-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, who has made his love and passion for his Catholic faith and upbringing part of his success all the way from a high school athlete, to a college player, and ultimately reaching the NFL.
I felt a little funny reading and reviewing this book because it is geared toward youth, particularly young men who also have a love of football or other sports. The great thing about this book is that the reader does not necessarily have to be an athlete or even have an interest in sports specifically, because this book is more about applying our faith beliefs to whatever dreams we may have and want to pursue with purpose.
A lot of young people do not have much direction from the adults in their lives — thankfully some still do — but for those who do not, a story like this could be life changing. It is just a matter of getting books like these into the hands of our young people.
I like how the book starts off telling us about how little Philip would sometimes play in his front yard by himself, imagining he was in front of a huge crowd, the clock winding down, and how he would be the one throwing the winning pass.
It reminded me of me when I was little: I would play in our backyard and bounce a rubber baseball off the cement steps to the garage. In my mind, it was always three balls, two strikes, two men out, bases loaded, and me needing to throw that last strikeout in order for me and my Chicago White Sox to win the World Series.
While I did not pursue any athletics past the age of twelve, reading further into Philip Rivers’ story reminded me of other times in my life when I faced some challenges which would have been much more difficult to overcome had it not been for my belief and trust in God and the saints.
One of the things that all parents want, though some are better at it than others, is to instill a lifelong love of the Catholic faith in their children. Unfortunately, there exist circumstances when children may naturally stray away from their parents and decide that church is not interesting enough for them in their teen years. Other distractions, or perhaps family problems, broken homes, and other tragic factors may lead a young person to become a lapsed Catholic.
When Rivers left home to join the North Carolina State Wolfpack, he felt homesick but felt a sigh of relief by attending Sunday Mass the first weekend he was there. Since then, no matter what city or state his football career has led him, he never misses at least going to Sunday Mass, no matter how big a game is lined up for later that Sunday.
Being that Rivers is a devout Catholic, and that he’s played a long career as quarterback for the then-San Diego and now Los Angeles Chargers football team, he made sure that his own children followed in his faith footsteps. Rivers got to know the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and to this day, his children enjoy participating in many faith-focused activities. His kids attending the virtue camp the Dominican Sisters sponsor each year in San Diego.
Rivers overcame a major knee injury during a season that led his team to a championship game. Rivers prayed for the intercession of St. Sebastian, patron saint of athletes, and was able to recover enough to play in that season’s championship game. Though his team lost, the greatest joy to Rivers was that the Sunday that the championship game was played was the Feast Day of St. Sebastian. This assured Rivers that St. Sebastian did indeed intercede on his behalf.
Until school resumes for our young people, many who weren’t already being homeschooled have now become home-schooled students. This COVID-19 has grounded many kids from more institutional learning opportunities, so books like this one are ideal for parents to give to their children. It’s a lot better than just planting them in front of the TV to watch mindless programming, or letting them play video games all day long.
I would encourage parents to get this book for their sons and even daughters, to learn about how life can be that much better when we have God in our lives, and especially if we practice the virtues and have active faith lives.
Rivers’ own mother Joan is one of the two authors and the book is a short read at only 44 pages. Visit www.SophiaInstitute.com to order the book, and see other great deals which can keep your young ones busy during this lockdown.
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(Rey Flores writes opinion and book and movie reviews for The Wanderer. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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