Sports as God's Instrument

In August of 2005 the Louisiana Superdome was the scene of anguish and despair, becoming a temporary shelter for New Orleans' newly homeless in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Last Sunday it hosted a joyous civic celebration, as the New Orleans Saints clinched their first NFC championship and trip to the Super Bowl.

Trivial by comparison? Hardly. Said Saints safety Darren Sharper: "This means a lot not only to us, but to the city of New Orleans, because everyone knows what they've been through. I can't count the number of times fans have come up to me on the street and say, 'Thank you guys for bringing happiness and life back to the city.'"

It's not the first time the success of a sports team has pulled a community together in the wake of tragedy. The 1968 Detroit Tigers' World Series championship helped heal a community ravaged by riots the previous summer. The 2001 New York Yankees' American League pennant was a catharsis for the city after 9/11.

Society easily recognizes the power of sports to be an instrument of healing for a hurting community. If we accept that all healing ultimately flows from God, then we must recognize that God uses sports for his purposes. Too often pushed aside as something on the periphery of "real life," sports are truly an instrument God often employs to draw us closer to him. In a society with a heavy interest in sports, they need to be utilized more and more as a means for evangelization and catechesis.

That's the mission I will continue to advance with this blog, with my work for Catholic Athletes for Christ, and with an exciting new partnership CAC is forming with Catholic Online (www.catholic.org) to provide many more sports-themed articles to this dynamic Catholic news outlet. With profiles of Catholic sports figures as well as articles reflecting on the theology of sport, we will continue to spread the word about the "Good News" of athletics.

I hope you'll stay on the team--we have so many places to go!

What Is NOW Afraid Of?

In my post of January 24 (“Facing Our Frank Larys”) I dealt with the fear of losing, and how it can keep us from winning. Leaders in the pro-choice movement seem to be playing with that fear regarding Focus on the Family’s pro-life television ad featuring Tim Tebow and his mother, set to air during the Super Bowl.

When she was pregnant with Tim, Pam Tebow ignored medical advice to abort him. The family has long since shared the blessings of choosing life, and that's what they will do on Super Bowl Sunday. Several pro-choice organizations, including the National Organization for Women (NOW) have called on CBS to cancel the ad, condemning it as inappropriate and divisive.

Erin Matson, NOW Action Vice President, posted this message on NOW’s "Say it, Sister!" blog on January 26: "Make no mistake about this ad: it's offensive to women.... Standing alone, it sends the message that all women who give birth are heroes; it sends a message that abortion is always a mistake; and it is insulting to the one in three women in this country who have abortions."

I wish everyone who feels this way would sincerely take this question to heart: What are you afraid of? Why do you fear the Tebows’ story being told? What would lead you to make these kinds of statements?

"It sends the message that all women who give birth are heroes." If the definition of hero does not include self-sacrifice and a willingness to suffer so another person can live, we must have different dictionaries.

"It sends a message that abortion is always a mistake." Wearing different colored socks is a mistake. Abortion is a tragedy, for the children whose lives are lost and the women whose lives are forever scarred. Always.

"It is insulting to the one in three women in this country who have abortions." Denying women information about the choice of life is an insult--no, it is a grave injustice to them and their unborn children.

Fortunately, not all pro-choice proponents share NOW’s fear of the ad. Several women identifying themselves as pro-choice or feminists responded to the post with pointed criticism, expressing disgust that NOW would try to suppress Mrs. Tebow from sharing the choice she made. (If you are truly “pro-choice,” they argue, you want people well informed about all their choices.) The thoughtfulness expressed in these posts offers hope that one day all in the pro-choice movement will join the cause of life.

In the meantime, we give thanks for the progress being made, and pray for the success of the Tebows’ testimony.

Jesus and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

“It’s just like riding a bike.”

That’s easy to say if you know how to ride one; it really is something we don’t forget once we've learned. But memories of skinned knees, scraped elbows, and trying to stop a falling, moving vehicle with one outstretched leg remind us that learning to ride a bike isn't always easy.

Trying to teach my children to ride, I was faced with a humbling reality--this was something I really couldn’t teach them to do. I could offer tips on how to get started, how to sit with their weight in the center, how to pedal, brake, and brace for the inevitable fall--but I couldn’t teach my children to ride a bike. They would have to get the feel of it by themselves. The most I could do was run alongside, try to stop them from falling, and lend constant encouragement that at some point they were going to be able to do this.

How similar to our efforts to bring people to Jesus and the Church. We can’t give anyone a relationship with the Lord and a life of discipleship. We can introduce them, encourage them, give them tips on how to begin and to how grow in faith--but everyone has to ultimately find their own balance in order to ride with Jesus. But it’s so hard when we see someone we love falling-- or not even trying.

My children did learn how to ride a bike. In fact, I don’t know of anyone who sincerely tried being doomed to a life with training wheels. Everyone who tries eventually rides.

It’s the same with Jesus, because he seeks everyone, is available to everyone, and welcomes everyone. It can take time, but everyone who sincerely seeks truth--by whatever name they may happen to call it--eventually finds Jesus, because he is truth. It is Jesus who gives the gift of faith, and he gives to all who search.

Is there someone in your life you are teaching to "ride" with Jesus? Keep running alongside, keep encouraging. Someday--through Jesus' doing, not yours--it will be just like riding a bike.

Facing Our Frank Larys

As a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the 1950s, Frank Lary earned the nickname "Yankee Killer." He compiled a 28-13 career record over the Bronx Bombers--including a perfect 7-0 mark against the eventual World Series champions in 1958. So strong was Lary's grip on the Yankees that manager Casey Stengel once shuffled his pitching rotation so Whitey Ford would not have to face him. "If Lary is going to beat us anyway," he reasoned, "why should I waste my best pitcher?"

Perhaps Stengel's Yankees could afford to wave an occasional white flag. But in the game of life we don't have that option. God calls us to give our all every time we take the field--especially when the odds seem to be against us. Faced with our own Frank Larys, we can't let the fear of losing cause us to give less than our best.

This point is well illustrated in a wonderful book called Come Sunday: Inspiration for Living With Heart by Paul C. Stomper, MD. (www.ComeSunday.net) As a cancer doctor, musician and athlete, Stomper draws insight from all three callings to reflect on our life in God. In a chapter titled "The Spirit of an Athlete," he presents a simple yet profound premise about fear.

Some athletes play with a fear of losing, because losing hurts. They've sacrificed and invested heavily but didn't get the outcome they expected. Some are tempted to decrease their investment, so when they lose it doesn't hurt as much. Decreased investment leads to decreased preparation, so losing becomes a foregone conclusion.

Stomper quotes Reggie Witherspoon, basketball coach at the University at Buffalo: "If you try to avoid the pain of losing, then you'll never win."

In Come Sunday Witherspoon supports this premise by relating a junior college coaching experience when his team lost a close game because of an obvious lack of investment:

"We lost. But I noticed that pain didn't seem to be evident. The loss was dismissed rather early. There was disappointment, but not a lot of pain or hurt."

The next day he held a team meeting and discussed what it's like to be hurt, not just by a sport, but by life:

"We talked about what our options are after that. Do we now withdraw everything and never invest at all in this relationship or this outcome that we desired? And if we do that, we don't experience the pain, but we will never experience the joy of winning either, the joy of being successful or of having a good relationship.... And if we do have that total investment of our emotions and our energies, but we fall short of our goal, then it's OK to have that pain--it's supposed to hurt because that will drive you to prepare harder the next time."

Or as Eugene Kennedy wrote in The Pain of Being Human: "We are grateful, too, that we bear these scars that are the proof that we have said yes to life."

We have no greater example of how to deal with the fear of losing than Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Knowing the complete self-sacrifice that was required of him--and the physical and spiritual pain his "loss" to death would entail--Jesus prayed: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

Yes, Jesus "lost" on Good Friday, but it had a redeeming purpose. He rose to glorious victory on the third day, and promises that all of our losses will eventually result in glorious triumph as well, if we join ourselves to him and remain faithful to his call.

So bring on the Frank Larys in our life--united with Christ we'll win no matter what.

January 22, 1973

These NFL stars from recent seasons have something fascinating in common; see if you know what it is:

Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Adam Vinatieri, Tony Romo, John Randle, Adewale Ogunleye, Willie Parker, James Harrison, Wes Welker, Jeff Saturday, Jake Delhomme, Priest Holmes, Antonio Gates, and Rod Smith. There are many others, but we’ll leave the list at that.

I’ll tell you at the end of the post the intriguing factor they have in common.

But first: Today we observe a tragic anniversary in our nation. This day in 1973 began an era in which the United States of America officially placed conditions on who is entitled to the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which are endowed upon us by our Creator. Yes, rights endowed by our Creator—not by any branch of government. And yes, you remember correctly, these rights are inalienable, according to our nation’s founding document. That simply means no human being has any business alienating people from their God-given rights.

This date also gave rise to the victimization of countless women who have been misinformed, ill-advised, and outright lied to about a choice that not only ended the life of their unborn children, but would traumatize them—emotionally, spiritually and physically—for years to come. (It is agonizingly ironic how a movement that calls itself “feminism” can inflict so much harm on women.)

So today we pause to remember and pray for all victims of this heinous tragedy: the children who have died and the women who bear the deep and lasting scars. And we pray for the enlightenment of our country, that all Americans will see the value of each and every human life—no matter its stage of development or circumstances.

Now for the answer to the question: All of these football stars were passed over in the NFL draft. When coaches and front office staff evaluated and chose who they deemed worthy to participate in the life of the NFL, football “death” was chosen for each of these future stars. Their potential was not recognized, and they were discarded as useless. But because they were able to speak and act on their own behalf, they were eventually signed as undrafted free agents and enjoyed life in the NFL.

Of course this is a very imperfect analogy for the right to life. But if it offers something for our sports-influenced culture to think about, I'll leave it on the table.

Angels in the Outfield Bleachers

You know God is present in every person when a brief encounter with a stranger lives in your memory years afterward. Such is the case with me and a quiet, elderly Chicago Cubs fan who called himself "Just Me Ernie." (Though "Ernie" was not his actual name, I'll use it in this post for the sake of privacy.)

Ernie's path and mine crossed ever-so-slightly in the centerfield bleachers at Wrigley Field about 15 years ago. It was nothing dramatic--more like the "tiny whispering sound" in which Elijah heard God after failing to find him in the wind, earthquake and fire. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

I had made a trip to Wrigley from west Michigan with some friends, and Ernie was seated just to our right. He was all by himself--sort of. While he sat unaccompanied on the bleacher bench, a young woman checked on him every now and then, bringing food and drink when needed. But when she was not tending to Ernie this gal kept her distance, remaining near the back of the bleacher section where she could keep an eye on him--like Ernie, all by herself.

On his lap Ernie held a Polaroid camera. He asked me and my friends if we would like our picture taken. We accepted his offer, and in a moment the Polaroid zipped out our image to develop in the Wrigleyville sun. Before handing it to us, he took out a pen and autographed the bottom border of the print: "Just Me Ernie."

I don't know how much film Ernie went through that day, but he took pictures of many other people. To all he affixed the same signature that, curiously, drew attention to the fact that he was alone.

My thanks were the only words I shared with him; but in the many years since I have often thought of "Just Me Ernie" and wondered about his life.

Why did he want us to notice he was "Just Me"? Was he proud of it, or was he calling to us that he was lonely? Did he have anyone close to him? Who was that gal who took care of him, and why did she keep her distance? How many games did he attend, and did he come so much for the baseball or the companionship, and the chance to give his simple gift of photographs to strangers?

And why do I still think of him after all these years? I had come to Wrigley Field as a baseball fan to watch a game--but all I remember about that day is Ernie.

I'll never find the answers to my questions about Just Me Ernie, but I'm beginning to figure out the last one. Nobody sticks in your mind for so long--no less a stranger you met only once--unless God is trying to tell you something.

So what is there to learn from this angel in the bleachers? Here's my list:

*Just one person, performing even the simplest act of kindness, can make a lasting impression.

*Even when it may seem like we're alone, we too have someone watching over us, taking care of our most essential needs.

*No one is "Just Me"--either in the sense of being alone, or being insignificant.

*If I want to find something out, I need to ask questions. I'm sure Ernie would have given me answers to all my questions if I had bothered to ask. The answers may not have been what I was looking for (such as "none of your business"), but I would've received answers. Likewise, God will always give me answers to my questions--whether or not they're the ones I expect--but nothing will happen unless I pray.

*Last but not least: Wrigley Field really isn't cursed--it has been blessed by "Just Me Ernie" and his gentle presence.

The Best Super Bowl Ad Ever

The Super Bowl broadcast is perhaps the only television event in which people look forward to the commercials as much as the program. This year's telecast will feature the best Super Bowl commercial of all time.

It was announced today that Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, will appear in a 30 second pro-life ad titled "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." The spot is sponsored by Focus on the Family, and is being funded by private donations given specifically for the project.

Tebow's parents were working as Christian missionaries in the Philippines while Pam was pregnant with him. She refused medical advice to abort Tim after she contracted a life-threatening infection. Doctors warned that the drugs she took to fight the infection could harm her child's development. Instead she chose life for the future college football star.

The Tebow family remains committed to Christian missionary activity, and are very active in the pro-life movement.

Congratulations to the Tebows. May their message on Super Bowl Sunday inspire a nation that needs to re-discover the incomparable value of human life.

We'll Always Have the Bull's Eye on Our Back

Prior to Saturday's basketball showdown between Michigan State and Illinois (both undefeated in the Big Ten going into the game), Spartans guard Durrell Summers used a familiar analogy to describe his team's position.

"We kind of have the bull's eye on our backs once again," he said. "I think that helps us at our place, just because teams are going to try to come in here and give us our first loss on our home court. I think it keeps us focused and will help us win the Big Ten championship."

When your team is the leader, everyone guns for you. Your opponents feel threatened by you, and the proverbial bull's eye is always on your back. When you're at the bottom of the pack, no one pays much attention to you. No one tries to knock down a last place team like they do the league leader.

In sports it's clear which position is more desirable. While it is much more stressful, the bull's eye is embraced as a sign that your team is on the right track; the arrows shot at it are welcomed because they keep the team focused on persevering toward their goal of a championship.

It's no different on the field of spiritual competition. When your team--the Church--is the leader, the bull's eye is always on your back. Your opponents go after you much harder; you are seen as a threat they need to eliminate. When you stand up for what is true and just--the sanctity of human life in all its stages and circumstances, marriage and the family, even faith itself--the arrows come full force.

Would we rather be in the cellar, with the anonymity and apathy that comes with losing? No sports team would, and neither should we.

Let's embrace the bull's eye as all athletes do, as a sign of the power, strength, and ultimately the undeniable truth of our team and its mission. We're number 1!

(By the way, Michigan State won on Saturday. Just one more arrow that missed the target.)

Sports World Reaches Out to Haiti

Information for this report was gathered from espn.go.com and cbc.ca.

Athletes with and without ties to Haiti are stepping up to lead relief efforts to the earthquake stricken nation. Among those efforts:

Indianapolis Colts receiver Pierre Garçon already had plans to travel to Haiti in April with his charitable organization, the Pierre Garçon Foundation. But after the earthquake struck, Garçon started using his Twitter account to ask fans for immediate help.

Denver Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil is urging people to donate to help the relief effort by texting "YELE" to 501501; $5 will automatically be charged to their wireless account. The money goes to hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean's Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti.

Former American League MVP Miguel Tejada is preparing a container van with emergency supplies that will be sent to Haiti. "I've authorized my staff to prepare a shipment to help the needy people in Haiti as soon as possible," Tejada told ESPNdeportes.com. "The plan is to fill up a container van with items needed in an emergency. In these situations they would need water, canned food, medicine, powdered milk and kids clothes." Tejada said the Haitian Consulate in Miami would be in charge of channeling the aid. Tejada also encouraged others to coordinate any aid through the consulate.

The New York Yankees announced Wednesday they would donate $500,000 in support of rescue and relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti. The Yankees hope their donation will inspire people throughout the United States to do everything they can to aid the people of Haiti.

HoundDogs, a Knoxville, Tennessee retailer which sells Tennessee Volunteers apparel, advertised a 20 percent discount for fans who brought shirts to the store for donation. In addition, the owners were hoping to turn a "negative into a positive" when they heard fans talk of burning and ripping up shirts with the former Vols coach's name or face on them in the wake of Kiffin's abrupt resignation. (He accepted the head-coaching job at Southern California.) The store has already been promised a large donation of shirts from a fan in Maryland.

Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert will present a $100,000 check for Haiti earthquake relief during the team's next game, the club announced on its website. Dalembert will also match fan donations dollar for dollar at Friday's game against Sacramento through his foundation, which partners with UNICEF, Feed the Children and the American Red Cross.

Yvenson Bernard, a running back for the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, announced Wednesday the creation of a relief fund, with details on how to donate money on the Blue Bombers website.

Commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday that Major League Baseball is donating $1 million on behalf of the league and its 30 teams. MLB also encouraged fans to help in the relief efforts as part of its global outreach program, "Going Beyond." MLB Network will air public service announcements encouraging fans to make donations aiding Haitian relief efforts, and MLB.com will prominently display links to UNICEF where fans can make contributions online.

May the hand of God continue to touch the earthquake victims through these efforts, and inspire many more people to help.

The Spiritual Legacy of the Steroids Era

Major League Baseball has a great TV ad explaining the dangers of steroids. A voice-over intones a litany of damages done to the body, while on screen a statue of an athlete crumbles apart--a striking image of the physical devastation wrought by these euphemistically dubbed "performance enhancing drugs."

In the face of Mark McGwire this week, we've seen the spiritual counterpart.

We've looked into the eyes of a man who cheated, broke one of his sport's most hallowed records by doing so, denied for years having done anything wrong, and now cradles a crumbled spirit that needs healing as much as his body.

I'm not judging Mark McGwire; Heaven knows we can all claim solidarity with him to some degree. In the game of life we have all at times played outside the rules, denied or tried to justify having done so, and faced the messy consequences of our own poor choices.

So while McGwire's body seeks to heal from the physical damage of these dangerous substances (if it hasn't yet, it will), we can and should join with him--as his brothers and sisters--in diagnosing and treating the spiritual wounds.

If I were to triage, I would place as a treatment priority not whatever weakness caused McGwire to choose steroids, but the one that led him to lie. The instinct to deny our sins deserves at least as much attention as the instinct to sin in the first place, if not more. Why?

As much as we try to be open to the grace of God working through us, we all sin--though hopefully less and less as we continue along our journey. Sin is a given in our earthly life, and will always be until we reach the Heavenly banquet. That's why Jesus sacrificed everything for us, and established a Church through which he could save us from sin.

Given the ever-present reality of sin, there is an essential quality we must all possess in order to be healed by Jesus--the humility to admit our sins, to repent, and to ask forgiveness. Anything is possible when we honestly admit our guilt and ask for the help we need to change. Nothing happens when we don't. In fact, we make the devil's work much easier when we look the other way or refuse to call his fouls.

That's why the overriding lesson that needs to emerge from the "Steroids Era" is not that it's evil to ingest dangerous substances or to cheat, as critically important as those lessons are. What needs to emerge above all else is that when we do wrong we need to stand up and say, "I did wrong, I'm sorry, and I want to change." When we do that there is forgiveness, redemption, and transformation of mind and heart.

Without that message firmly in place, the others miss their mark. What's the point of teaching that steroids and cheating are wrong, if we have not first laid the foundation of humility, contrition, and the infinite mercy of God that are required to properly process those other lessons?

Catholics are blessed with a rich tradition that lays that foundation. Part of that is the sacrament of Reconciliation, whereby we verbally confess to Jesus (acting through his ordained human instrument) that we have sinned, and are absolved and given his grace to grow closer to the divine image in which we were created. Another is the penitential rite at Mass, through which we admit to God and our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ that we have sinned, and ask for prayers and the grace of God to move forward.

In the words of the Confiteor (one of the options for this rite), we find perhaps the greatest lesson that needs to emerge from the steroids era, words that I pray Mark McGwire and all God's people take to heart:

"I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do. And I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

"May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen."

"Soles for Souls" and the Essence of Sport

At their core, sports are a profound way to live the Eucharist.

As I wrote in my book Living the Eucharist Through Sports: "'This is my body, which will be given up for you' is also the motto of everyone who participates in sports.... An athlete sacrifices his or her body and all that dwells within--mind, spirit and will--for the good of someone and something beyond themselves. As people of the Eucharist, Catholic athletes make this sacrifice not only in imitation of Christ, but truly in him and through him as branches of his Eucharistic vine."

A group of runners in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey called "Soles for Souls" takes this to heart every time they lace up their shoes.

“Soles for Souls is a new way to evangelize to Catholics who love to run and be
active,” said Liliana Soto-Cabrera, coordinator of the Office of Evangelization for the archdiocese and a co-founder of Soles for Souls, in a 2007 article in the archdiocese's newspaper, The Catholic Advocate. “Not only are we able to share our faith with other runners, we also use our training as a means of offering up the sacrifice for conversions and other special intentions."

The group's members include the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, auxiliary bishop of Newark. “We can offer anything we do as a prayer,” said Bishop da Cunha in The Catholic Advocate. “Running can also be offered as a prayer. Physical activity, although good for the mind and body, can also be good for the soul, and it can also bring good fruits for others, if it is offered as a prayer”.

The group's apostolate seems to reflect St. Paul's teaching to the Colossians: "I rejoice in what I'm suffering for you now; in my flesh I'm completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions on behalf of his body, that is, the church." (Colossians 1:24) Joining our sacrifices--be they physical, spiritual or both--to those of Jesus truly joins us to his sanctifying mission. When sports are approached in this light, they become a powerful means of prayer and a way to live as people of the Eucharist.

Congratulations to Soles for Souls, and many more blessings upon their mission!

Being Healed in the Clutches of Crutches

One of the classic, time-honored criticisms of religion is that people use it as a crutch. Reason would hold that if an image is used to level criticism, the image should be a negative one. This begs the question: at what point in the history of medical science did a crutch become something bad--a detriment to health, rather than an aid to healing?

Last month my ten-year old son sprained his foot while playing at recess. My wife got him a pair of crutches to bear the weight for his injured foot so it could rest and heal. I hope we didn't send him the wrong message.

I seriously doubt that an atheist in the same situation would have told their child to crawl or hop on one foot rather than rely on a crutch. The discrepancy between the image and the reality of crutches reveals a disconnect in the criticism. Physical injuries remind us that there are limits to what we can do by ourselves, and that sometimes we need crutches, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, casts, slings and splints to be restored to health and wholeness. Why can't the same principle apply to emotional and spiritual wounds?

And the idea that crutches are somehow an easy way out of difficulty can hardly be reconciled with the experience of anyone who has ever had to use them to get around.

Of course the criticism does have merit when we turn to religion only as a crutch, taking it out of the closet in times of trouble and then putting it away when we feel fine. But even someone in that circumstance shows a deeper spiritual awareness than one who tries to go it alone--at least they know their limitations and humbly acknowledge a greater power that will come to their aid.

This is one of the many ways sports can offer insights into our relationship with God. We see the glorious potential when spirit and body are wed, pushing each other to excel--as well as the dangers that lurk when they try to exceed their bounds or are not properly prepared. When the weight of an injury becomes too overwhelming, a crutch can bear the weight while healing takes place. An athlete who has relied on a crutch can then become one for others, reminding us that crutches should never be put back in a closet but kept ready to offer to the next teammate who may need them.

And what a beautiful image of God a crutch becomes--supporting weight that is too painful to bear on our own, so we can be healed and eventually walk again. And as we struggle to walk with the injury, the crutches work with us.

In 2004, a man from Ireland named Simon Baker had his right leg amputated below the knee. Four years later he made the Guiness Book of World Records by completing the Dublin Marathon (a 26 mile, 385 yard course) in six hours and 47 minutes--entirely on crutches. He did so to raise money for an organization that helps children with terminal illnesses.

Anyone who believes that relying on a crutch is a sign of weakness may want to visit with Mr. Baker. I'm sure he has quite a different viewpoint.

Are You "Coachable"?

Imagine you're a coach having to choose between these two players to add to your squad:

Player A has exceptional, superstar talent, but won't let anyone tell him what to do. He'll follow his own inclinations instead of your instruction, and thinks his phenomenal talent precludes him from having to work as hard as his less-talented teammates.

Player B is not as talented, but knows that because of this he has to work harder. He'll listen to your direction, allow you to mold him into the team, and will do whatever it takes to contribute.

I'll choose Player B hands down--and Player A has no one to blame but himself.

Attitude is such an equalizer in sports; a less talented athlete with the right work ethic can outshine a more gifted but selfish player.

And so it is in the team game of Christian discipleship. God does not distribute talents equally, but he does give everyone some kind of ability to contribute. It doesn't matter what particular talent we are given or how much of it we possess--what matters is the attitude we bring to placing that talent at the service of God and his people.

We can be blessed with phenomenal talent; but if we refuse guidance, follow our own inclinations instead of God's will, and think that we don't have to work as hard as others, we run the risk of being cut from the squad. And if that were to happen we would have no one to blame but ourselves.

But if we recognize that we have to work hard with any talent we're given (no matter the quantity), listen to God's direction, allow him to mold us into his team, and have a willingness to do whatever it takes to contribute, we can be sure of our place on the roster. (And the entire team will strengthened by our presence.)

The buzzword to describe Player B--and even Player A if he has the right attitude--is "coachable." All the talent in the world means nothing if a player is not willing to be taught by the coach and molded not just into a player, but a teammate.

In the Body of Christ, just as in sports, the most coachable players often turn out to be the most unlikely heroes.

"People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." (Luke 13:29-30)

Mass Even More Exciting Than A Buzzer-Beater

It's often observed that people will happily spend three hours at a sporting event, but grumble over one hour spent in church. Homer Simpson once tried to reconcile the two--listening to a football game on radio earphones at a Sunday service. In the middle of the sermon he jumped up shouting "IT'S GOOD! IT'S GOOD!...er...It's, uh, good to see you all in church today."

To Homer and his friends the difference may seem to be a no-brainer: sports are exciting, church is boring. Pass the nachos.

Yet for all the excitement sports can bring (and it has brought me a lot over the years), Mass has some thrills to offer that don't even compare.

When I walk into church I dip my fingers into a bowl of water in which Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who descended upon Jesus "in bodily form" when he rose from the baptismal waters of the Jordan now beckons to me "in bodily form." I touch the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit touches me. This is the same water used in baptism, effecting rebirth into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and joining us to his body. And I'm touching it! I haven't even gone into church yet and already I'm given this awesome, exciting gift that allows me to be in physical contact with God. (I'll take that over a bobble-head or a floppy hat any day.)

As Mass begins I stand with a crowd of people to do something much more memorable than "The Wave." Together, out loud, we confess that we have sinned through our own fault, in what we have done and in what we have failed to do. And we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels and saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for one another. Yes, Harry Caray fans, this is a "Holy Cow" moment! (And I don't care if I ever get back.)

After all, we live in a world where people often sue other people to avoid accepting responsibility for their own mistakes--and here an entire community admits publicly that they have sinned? This is radical! Nobody does this "out there"--how exciting is this!

We ask not just the folks we can see to pray for us, but we're rubbing elbows with Mary the Mother of God, the angels and the saints! The shirtless guys in sub-zero temperatures with their team name painted on their bellies are pretty cool, but I get to hang out with angels and saints!

I listen to words written centuries ago, half-way around the world, in languages and cultures I don't even know--and they speak to me. Together with these other folks I recite a Creed which, as Scott Hahn has pointed out, people in the first few centuries AD risked their lives to say.

Most amazing of all, I see bread and wine transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. I am then called forward to be both physically and spiritually fed by the Bread of Life, and thus become physically and spiritually one with him and his mystical body. "We are" [Clap! Clap!] "the Body of Christ!" [Clap! Clap!]

We are then sent forth not merely to "drive home safely," but "to love and serve the Lord," having been joined to him with his promise to transform us into the divine image in which we were created. Who needs a foam finger!

So yes, Homer, "IT'S GOOD!" It is so much more than good. Sports are exciting, no doubt, and I am so blessed to have sports as part of my life. But I am so much more blessed by the opportunity to participate at Mass. If we can all bring the same zeal from the stadiums and arenas to the altar of the Lord, what a truly exciting game this life of ours can become.

Bring it on!

Five New Year's Resolutions for Christian Athletes

As we begin 2010, here are five suggested New Year's resolutions/habits to help Christian athletes grow stronger in their faith through participation in sports.

1. Say this simple prayer to Jesus before every practice and competition: "This is my body, which will be given up for you." Jesus sacrificed his body for us. As you sacrifice yours for your teammates and coaches, tell Jesus that you are doing it for him and his glory. Join all your successes, failures, suffering and joy to the body of Christ.

2. Bring the same intensity of athletics to your competition with sin and evil. As an athlete you want to defeat your opponents in the game. Do you have that same zeal to defeat your opponents in life--anyone who would try to separate you from God? Thomas Merton wrote that souls are like athletes, who need opponents to test them and stretch their capacities. How are you doing against those opponents? NHL referee Kerry Fraser shares this bit of wisdom he received from his spiritual adviser: "He told me there is war going on, but it is heavenly war and we are all players. We can score goals for one side or the other, but everything we do makes an impact on the score of the game." Which side are you scoring goals for?

3. Cultivate the relationship between your body and your spirit. Your body and your spirit do not exist side by side--they are an inseparable union, so much so that they form one nature. The body is animated by the spirit, the spirit is invigorated by the body. Be aware of their union, and nourish them simultaneously. What affects one (for good or for bad) affects the other.

4. If you are not already doing so, develop Christian fellowship with other athletes. The body of Christ, much like a team, is not one individual member but many united. Just as you need your teammates to train and compete as an athlete, you also need them to train and compete as a disciple. And they need you--there may be someone who needs your spiritual companionship to help them defeat their opponents.

5. Learn about the spiritual life of a famous athlete. There are so many prominent athletes who use their celebrity as a platform to evangelize. Pick one and find out as much about his or her faith life as you can, and emulate their example.

Have a very blessed and victorious 2010.