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Restless Desire for Greater Things

The tune "We Are the Champions" keeps looping in my ear's memory after yesterday's NBA Finals finale. In 2011, a team of scientific researchers concluded -- relying on math, science, engineering and technology, from the physics and frequencies of sound that determine pitch and harmony -- that the song was the catchiest song in the history of pop music. We like to celebrate and sing achievements. Beyond that, there is an intrinsic euphoria in being the best we can be. The iconic NBA MVP Kevin Durant - all he ever says is "I just want to be the best I can be."

In the 2014 NBA Finals, it was the unlikely, quiet, humble youngster, Kawhi Leonard, who lifted the team and carried the Spurs to their fifth Championship. For that we'll remember him as the Finals Most Valuable Player. His performance was beyond whole-hearted and beyond ordinary, reflecting qualities of selflessness, generosity, and magnanimity.

Ignatian Spirituality has a name for this as it applies to our spiritual life: Magis. "Magis is this desire to do more for Christ, more for the glory of God, more to grow into ourselves. Magis carries with it the spirit of restless desire for greater things, a deeper attentiveness, a deeper spiritual life, and more meaningful relations."* It is the restless desire for excellence and is grounded in gratitude for all of God's gifts.

It's doubtful that the Spurs had Magis on their minds - it was probably the Larry O'Brien trophy. Whatever it was that drove the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth championship - many would say good coaching, basketball I.Q., or team spirit - it definitely was a restless desire for greater things, to just want the best we can be, "beyond our self-contained selves."

*http://godinallthings.com/2013/03/11/magis/

---by Jan

Spurs International

Two Frenchmen, two Australians, and a Brazilian walk into a bar. Everyone in the bar cheers, then someone asks, "Where's the rest of the team?"

While the scene is imaginary, this is no joke. This is the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. A map online shows the birthplaces of the Spurs players: four continents (North America [U.S. and Canada], South America [Argentina and Brazil], Europe [France, Belgium, and Italy], Australia) and two island chains (New Zealand, Virgin Islands).

Tony Parker and Boris Diaw speak to each other on the court in French. Manu Ginobili, the Argentinian, speaks with Marco Belinelli in Italian (Ginobili played professionally in Italy before joining the Spurs), and with Tiago Splitter in Spanish (Splitter play professionally in Spain). Of course, they all speak passable to excellent English (although - like me - none of them really speak Texan!).

In a world torn by ethnic conflicts, the Spurs are a hopeful sign of international cooperation and mutual respect. Every sports columnist online is talking about team basketball at its best. As Coach Gregg Popovich says, long-time stars Parker, Ginobili, and Tim Duncan "got over themselves" a long time ago. Egos were checked at the entrance to the gym.

But no one checked their ethnic or national identity. Corey Joseph is still a proud Canadian; Patty Mills is honored to be a descendant of Australia's aboriginal peoples. Nearly all the Spurs players gladly represent their home countries in the Olympics (Mills, playing for Australia, led all scorers in the 2012 games; Ginobili won two Olympic medals with Argentina) and other international competition (Parker and Diaw led France to the 2013 European championship).

The Spurs are a mixing pot, not a melting pot. Each brings their own insights and talents to the playing floor and the practice facility, and each cheers the accomplishments of the other. During the Finals, Brazilian Tiago Splitter was replaced in the starting lineup by Frenchman Boris Diaw. Splitter didn't mind in the least. "If you [give up playing time] to play for a championship, you do that," Splitter told a reporter. "I think every player in the league would play less to win a ring."

Maybe. Maybe not. Given the egos involved and all of the money on the table, such selflessness is not the norm in every NBA locker room. But it is in San Antonio - a sign of hope for the world.

---by Bill

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Sincerely, Bill Howden & Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries