Chasing a Dream with Small Steps

A St. Therese Institute Movie Night review of Rudy (1993)

Reflection by Nicholas Pierlot, STIFM Director of Formation

As human beings, we all have dreams: visions of the future that we would like to achieve. But what do we do if a dream seems out of reach or unrealistic? What if family and friends even discourage our pursuit of it? Do we let the dream go, or do we adjust our circumstances to make it more possible? This is the spiritual question behind the 1993 film Rudy, a story of a young man with a dream far beyond his reach: to play for the University of Notre Dame football team. 

From every side, Rudy is admonished to be more realistic. His family and friends encourage him to accept his station and be content with what lies in front of him. On one hand, Rudy’s mentors seem to call him toward the virtue of humility and the recognition of just limits. On the other hand, apparent humility can be a mask for a spirit of cowardice or resignation, even sloth. Rudy is the story of a man who faces these considerations in all their complexity. He finds a way forward that defies common wisdom, discerning a magnanimous (“great-spirited”) course in pursuit of his dream..

Rudy begins with what he has – which is a small body, weak grades, limited resources, and even a dyslexia diagnosis. He learns to quietly serve while working as a janitor, attending a less prestigious Catholic college in the same town as Notre Dame, and studying hard to improve. Rudy learns to embody humility – not by giving up on his dream; but by focusing on each next step and surrendering the rest to God.

The Difference between Magnanimity and False Ambition

If we step back for a moment, a tension emerges. If humility can mask cowardice, can magnanimity – that courageous greatness of soul – also be a mask for false ambition? Magnanimity moves us to respond generously to the greatness that God makes possible – sometimes this includes aiming high for personal goals like Rudy does in the film. False ambition, however, is a twisting of generosity into mere desire for our own greatness. It turns us toward vainglory and obsession. It can ruin lives – both our own and of the people around us. Throughout the film, Rudy walks a delicate line between these two spirits. 

One powerful plot line that illustrates this tension is Rudy’s desire for an acceptance letter from Notre Dame. He visits the admissions office obsessively each semester, hoping, praying, and slowly losing confidence as he receives two rejection letters. When a third rejection comes, he sinks into discouragement. Rudy’s friend, Fr. John Cavanaugh, finds him slumped despondently in the chapel. The following dialogue ensues:

Rudy: “I’ve done everything I can. I’ve done everything I know how. Maybe I haven’t prayed enough.” 

Father Cavanaugh: “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I’ve come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God… and I’m not Him.” 

This marks a change of approach for Rudy. He begins to spend more time in the chapel and comes to recognize something important: once we have taken all the baby-steps we can toward a dream, we have to surrender the rest to God. 

God permits obstacles that drive us to dependence on Him. This is part of our journey to sainthood, and this journey is the real purpose of our lives. At this point in the movie, Rudy surrenders to the terms of God. It does not mean he stops in his efforts, but he begins to bend his vision to match the story God is giving to him.  

The next time Rudy receives a letter, he steps aside with new composure instead of tearing it open in anxious excitement. We see him walk to a quiet place and sit down peacefully. Having done everything in his power, he entrusts the outcome to Providence. 

And of course, we know the rest of the story. Rudy’s small steps, guided by trust, lead to a great reward on the gridiron with the Fighting Irish football team. When the cheering dies down, the gentle viewer reflects: if Rudy had not begun with those brave and uncertain small steps, would the grand result have been possible? 

Small Steps are Necessary to achieve any Dream 

It is worth noting that Rudy’s journey finds a kindred spirit in the story of St. Thérèse. As a young girl, Thérèse longed to enter the Carmel at Lisieux, but she was told she was too young and too fragile. Even her family and her confessors urged her to wait. Like Rudy, Thérèse faced the tension between humility and the burning dreams of her heart. 

Thérèse’s moment came when she audaciously approached Pope Leo XIII during a pilgrimage, throwing herself at his feet and pleading for permission to enter Carmel early. Everyone told her this was improper – that she should remain silent and accept the humble path. But her desire was not born of pride. It was love.

Thérèse’s courage before the pope mirrors Rudy’s persistence. Both faced human limitation and chose to throw themselves in headfirst. After all, as Thérèse says, “one does not become a saint by halves.” So too with all our dreams, which, seen rightly, should be signposts toward the person God created us to become.

If we have eyes to see, Rudy teaches us that every great work of God begins in small, faithful steps. Dreams, when purified by humility, perseverance, and surrender can bear fruit beyond our imagination – even eternal reward. True magnanimity is not pride, but trust – the willingness to say, “Lord, I will give my best, and I will let you decide the outcome.”