“You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection.”*
by chuckofish
The liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) remembers Eric Liddell with a feast day on February 22. Isn’t that nice?
You remember Eric Liddell. He was the Scottish athlete and devout Christian, who refused to run in a heat held on Sunday at the 1924 Olympics in Paris and was forced to withdraw from the 100-metres race, his best event. However, he won the 400 metres. They made a movie about him and Harold Abrahams called Chariots of Fire in 1981. Remarkably it won the Best Picture Oscar. (I blogged about it here.) It is one of my favorite movies.
Anyway, I was unaware that we Episcopalians recognize this worthy missionary on our calendar. I can’t say I approve of all the “saints” so celebrated, but I approve of him.
God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering your athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom you gave courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–Collect for the day
* Chariots of Fire (1981); screenplay by Colin Welland
dual personalities 
I have read a short biography of Eric Liddell. He was such a sweet man. I remember thinking it was unfair that he died of a personality-changing brain tumor. I’m glad the Episcopalians remember him!
Yes, I am too. He has only been on the calendar for a few years. I guess it’s time to watch the movie again!
He died of a brain tumor?! So he would have likely survived the yoke of a communist chinese internment camp? That’s even more sad. I love Chariots of Fire and I agree, it is very remarkable that it won best picture.
Well, according to Wikipedia (which we know is not an altogether trustworthy source)–He actually had an inoperable brain tumor; overwork and malnourishment may have hastened his death. Liddell died on 21 February 1945, five months before the camp was liberated.
Wonderful movie…I was in my early “running phase” at the time and I recall the beach scene and music really blew me away. Tragically, the actor who played Eric Liddell in the film, Ian Sevenson (I think his name was) also died quite young, at 40, of AIDS.
Ian Charleson–so sad!