Special Report: Brett Favre and the Triumph of the Spirit

Over the last two years Favre has shown us clearly who he wants to be. He wants to be a man guided by the strength of God.

SPRING LAKES, MI (Catholic Online) - It is always heartening when a perceived weakness that draws criticism reveals a true strength that merits praise. Such is the case with Brett Favre and his on again, off again retirement from the National Football League.

Favre has been ridiculed for his revolving door approach--as if he is the only person who has ever struggled with a major life decision and second guessed himself. But now that another chapter in his remarkable career has closed (and a glorious chapter, at that), it's time to glean the inspiration from his soul-searching odyssey--and give Favre his due as a man whose spiritual strength overcomes the weakness of mind and body.

That's really what his story is all about. We live in a unity of body, mind and spirit. When they are firing on all cylinders we are unstoppable. Yet the spirit is unique in that it can drive the engine if the other two fall short. Brett Favre's retirement saga offers a perfect playbook diagram of this dynamic.

Matter over mind

Favre retired from the Green Bay Packers in 2008 because his mind called a time-out from football. He said he was "mentally tired," which is understandable. Football is a game of complex and intricate strategy, and a quarterback must be deeply versed in its knowledge and execution. After leading offenses for sixteen years in the pressure-packed NFL, Favre said his mind needed a rest.

Yet the spirit--which when properly formed can discern the forest past the trees--apparently took over, pledging to carry the tired mind that felt it could go no further. What else could drive someone back to their passion when they have admitted mental fatigue? Favre returned to the game he loves with a mind renewed by the spirit.

Willing spirit, weak flesh

When Favre retired from the New York Jets in 2009, his body called the play. A sore shoulder significantly diminished his production, leaving Favre a dismal 21st in the NFL passer rankings, and the Jets free falling from first place to elimination from a playoff berth.

Favre declined the Minnesota Vikings' first overture, still doubting his body's ability to play at a competitive level. Yet once again the spirit discerned there was more in the tank than he realized, and once again he listened and responded.

The results of his 2009 season are indisputable. Even Favre's staunchest critics must agree he was not yet ready to retire, as he finished with the NFL's second best passer rating and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game--all at the age of 40.

Spiritual exercise

Yet the spirit does not drive us with this kind of precision automatically. As Thomas Merton wrote in The Seven Storey Mountain, "Souls are like athletes, that need opponents worthy of them if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers, and rewarded according to their capacity." Like physical exercise, spiritual training necessarily involves pain, and Favre has certainly had his share.

His adversities are well known: addiction to pain killers and alcohol, the deaths of his father and his brother-in-law, his mother's hurricane-ravaged home, and his wife's battle with cancer. Yet hardship in and of itself is not enough to strengthen the spirit. Someone facing the same difficulties could very well respond differently, surrendering to despair and the many destructive behaviors that follow in its wake.

Adversity only becomes a source of spiritual growth when its redemptive value is recognized, and it is embraced as a cross that will eventually be raised in glory.

Brett Favre has this outlook. He and his wife Deanna speak freely of the Catholic faith that has formed and strengthened them in difficult times. The proof is in the pudding; if anyone needs a taste, Favre's own words reveal his Christ-like outlook on pain and suffering.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated he was asked for his favorite football memory. This was his response:

"If I were to make a list, I would include the interceptions, the sacks, the really painful losses. Those times when I've been down, when I've been kicked around, I hold on to those. In a way those are the best times I've ever had, because that's when I've found out who I am. And what I want to be."

Over the last two years Favre has shown us clearly who he wants to be. He wants to be a man guided by the strength of God rather than the weakness of mind and body. He wants to make decisions based on love and hope, not fear and despair. He wants to embrace challenges with faith, and not shirk in the face of criticism from those who do not understand him. He wants to be a man who is not afraid to admit he's made a wrong decision, even if he makes it more than once.

And he is a man who wants to go out on top--which means we'll probably see him on the field again next year. Either way, we can be thankful for his example of how to find peace with God, our neighbor, and ourselves.

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James Penrice is the Director of Faith Formation at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he lives with his wife and three children. He writes and speaks on various topics of the Catholic faith, in between coaching basketball and tee-ball. He has contributed to Our Sunday Visitor, Columbia, and Catholic Athletes for Christ. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

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