Just in case there was any doubt about it, I was awakened early one Sunday morning recently by an enthusiastic visitor a few houses down on our dead-end street. He was shouting at the top of his lungs, “Game day! Been waiting for this all year! Gaaaaaamme day!”
Later, when I walked my dogs, I saw him and a band of other enthusiasts as they headed to the Vikings game decked in purple jerseys with painted faces, still shouting as they drove off, “Game day! Been waiting all year!” I presume it was a season opener, thus the heightened — and loud — fervor.
Don’t get me wrong, I think sports can be a wonderful means of helping to form strong character and a great outlet for socializing and recreation. I’ve had a number of close relatives play professional sports, and many more played sports in college. I saw what it meant for them. Athletics can be a tremendous means of training oneself in virtue, learning to work effectively as a team, forming a plan, working toward goals and overcoming obstacles, among many other benefits.
But because it was Sunday, I couldn’t help but make the comparison in my mind. There was no one on my street — including me — that was equally excited to go to Mass. No one was dressed up in their Sunday best parading down the street shouting “Lord’s Day! Yeah! Been waiting for this all week!” I realize the comparison isn’t entirely even, and of course, I treasure being able to go to Mass, but you see my point. One could wonder about disordered loves in such a scenario. The especially public enthusiasm got me thinking.
It reminded me of an old homily St. John Paul II gave in the United States almost 30 years ago. (You can find it on the Vatican website) As ever, he was remarkably prescient.
He said, “Democracy cannot be sustained without a shared commitment to certain moral truths about the human person and human community.” Then he went on to state with the extraordinary simplicity and intelligence that marked his entire pontificate, that there is one vital question every democracy must ask itself: “how ought we to live together?”
To answer this question well, he said, we cannot reject the fundamental truths upon which our country was founded. He asked, “Can Biblical wisdom which played such a formative part in the very founding of your country be excluded from that debate? … Would not doing so mean that tens of millions of Americans could no longer offer the contribution of their deepest convictions for the formation of public policy?” (No. 7).
St. John Paul makes plain that, “Sometimes, witnessing to Christ will mean drawing out of a culture … its noblest intentions, a fullness that is revealed in Christ. At other times, witnessing to Christ means challenging that culture, especially when the truth about the human person is under assault” (No. 6).
In case there’s a shred of doubt in you, let me assure you. It’s game time, friends — the truth about the human person is under assault worldwide. Put on your game face, the helmet of salvation and the belt of truth (see Eph 6:10-17). Get vocal, souls are at stake. Act while you still have the freedom, as St. John Paul points out, not to do what you like, but to do what you ought. It’s game day.
Oh Lord, St. Paul begged the Ephesians to pray for him “that I may declare (the Gospel) boldly.” We make his prayer our own, that armed with the sword of the spirit, your word, we would become effective ambassadors of your truth (see Eph 6: 19-20). Amen.
Stanchina is the community leader for Women’s Formation at Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Institute and the award-winning author of more than a dozen books. Visit her website at LizK.org.
