Eric Liddell at the Paris Olympics, 1924. He won gold and set a world’s record in the 400 meters, then grabbed a bronze in the 200, but his best event was the 100 meter dash. When his preliminary heat was scheduled for a Sunday, he refused to run because he considered it the Sabbath, a principled stand immortalized in the film “Chariots of Fire.” But his return to China and service to fellow prisoners of war are why we celebrate him as a saint; he was interned by the Japanese in 1943 and later given a chance to participate in a prisoner exchange with the British, but he gave up his place to a pregnant woman instead.
The Daily Office 
