Still Learning

John Wooden, the Hall of Fame UCLA basketball coach who led his teams to ten national championships in twelve seasons, began each season with a lesson that surprised many of his players. These were elite athletes, yet Wooden would stand before them and demonstrate how to put on a pair of socks. A wrinkle could become a blister. A blister could affect performance. One of the most successful coaches in sports history never assumed that fundamentals could be taken for granted.

Wooden understood something that applies far beyond basketball. The most accomplished people are often the ones who remain willing to learn. Success can tempt us to believe we have arrived. Experience can convince us that we already know enough. Yet growth has a way of stopping as soon as we believe there’s nothing more to teach us.

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus offers a prayer that must have sounded surprising to those who heard it. He thanks the Father because the deepest truths of…