Column by Jonathan Nagy
There are few experiences in life that compare to a Penn State home football game Saturday. A crisp, sunny Autumn morning with the light shining over Mount Nittany creates a surreal environment. The anticipation builds all week, especially if the Nittany Lions are having a successful season. Groups set up their tailgates, and conversation about the team is lively. On days where the faithful are dressed all in white, the stakes feel higher. When the national media is in Happy Valley, the fans are even more fired up. Gametime arrives. The pregame festivities, marching band, military flyovers, fireworks, and team introductions continue to help build the anticipation. Throughout the game, the fans react to the calls of the referees, the good and bad plays, and the ebb and flow of the score. 111,000 fans energetically and loudly cheering for their team is truly a sight for the eyes and a sound for the ears.
As a lifelong fan of the Nittany Lions, I admire the dedication and enthusiasm of my fellow fans. However, I always stop and wonder if only everyone in that stadium was as enthusiastic about their faith, what a magnificent experience that would be! Imagine waking up early for Sunday Mass, after preparing all week by pre-reading the readings, praying, and learning the hymns. Everyone arrives early for Mass, dressed in their Sunday finest, and eagerly anticipating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. An overcapacity crowd jams into the church, emphatically reciting the prayers and boisterously singing the hymns, all getting caught up in the various emotions of the Mass.
It is disheartening that we do not see that happen that way, but there is no reason why it should not! If so many can become that involved in a football game, they also need to be that involved in their eternal salvation. There is nothing wrong with competing in or watching sports. Athletics has always been an important aspect of life. People have always needed exercise, a way to relieve stress, and have fun. We are meant to enjoy this life, and athletics are a great way to do so. Saint Paul spoke many times in his writings referencing sports.
Saint Paul uses athletics to reference the need for self-discipline in fighting our earthly battle for the Lord. For example, in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, he wrote, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” Saint Paul understood the discipline, devotion, and strength it would take to become more Christ-like, and he knew that people understood sports references.
Another example of athletics in the Bible is in Philippians 3:14, where Paul wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Just like Paul, we should relentlessly pursue Christ. We need to press on, no matter the obstacles that are presented before us.
A final example from Saint Paul, and perhaps the most quoted athletic Bible verse of all-time, is in 2 Timothy 4:7. Paul, knowing that his life was coming towards the end, and understanding fully what life has been about, wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Satisfied with his commitment to Jesus Christ on earth, he was ready to end the marathon and receive the ultimate prize – eternal happiness in the arms of the loving Father.
Have we fought the good fight for Christ? How have we run the race? How do we keep the faith? There is not just one winner in the race to Jesus Christ. All who love Him, emulate Him, and care for others as He would are running the just race. Steps can be taken to train for the race and root others on as the run the same track.
The secular world does not always look kindly upon the Christian athlete. Football player Tim Tebow was often criticized for dropping to a knee in the endzone to say a prayer of Thanksgiving. At the same time, people were celebrating athletes for awful celebrations. Joe Mazzulla, the coach of the Boston Celtics and a strong Catholic, was once asked after a game if he noticed members of the British Royal family in attendance. He commented, “No, I only know of one royal family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” On the Olympic stage, gold medal winner and unapologetic Catholic Katie Ledecky told reporters, “My Catholic faith is very important to me. It always has been and always will be.” We need to celebrate our athletes who take their faith so seriously and raise them up as positive role models for our youth.
Our young people can be role models of their own. I truly enjoy watching my students at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School compete in their sporting events. Whether on the field, court, or track, they put in the hours of dedication to train to become the best at what they do. Along with the rest of the BC community, we rejoice with the students in their victories, comfort them in their defeats, and look forward to the next competition. I have seen them encourage their teammates to keep pushing, congratulate their opponents when they come out victorious, and comfort those who struggle or suffer an injury. They are truly living a Christ-like life in demonstrating how their devotion to Jesus Christ is evident in all aspects of their lives, including sports. However, their accomplishments and impact on the world go far beyond their athletic abilities.
Part of the mission statement of Bishop Carroll Catholic High School reads, “Bishop Carroll exists to educate students in spirit, heart, mind, and body within a Catholic framework of Gospel values to become the best possible members of their families, communities, church, and world.” These students are not only becoming the best possible members of those groups, but they already are also outstanding. I see them in leadership roles within their parishes as servers, lectors, extraordinary ministers, musicians, and volunteers. They support members of the greater community through service hours, far exceeding the required numbers. The world is a better place because of the students of Bishop Carroll Catholic High School. The student body is itself a family. They support each other in difficult times and rally behind those who struggle. Students who would become lost in other environments thrive within the walls on Husky Hill. They take their faith seriously and understand the task that is in front of them to be Ambassadors for Christ.
We adults can learn a few lessons from these students as well. We all need to do a better job of supporting one another in good times and bad. We need to be encouraging people to seek Jesus Christ in all things and rediscover their faith. There is an old one-line joke that reads, “Standing in a church does not make one a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes one a car.” Harsh, but true. We need to BE Catholic Christians to our fellow man. Compassion, care, concern, encouragement, dedication, and love are all characteristics that we need to be communicating to one another. Just like running a race, the course is not easy. We will fall behind, trip, and sometimes even go the wrong way, but our eyes need to be focused on the prize of life with Jesus Christ.
Yes, keep enjoying athletics. God created the human body to do extraordinary things, and we need to celebrate those who achieve great accomplishments and bring us great excitement and joy. We must recognize though that none of those activities are possible without God. He allows us the opportunities to compete and be spectators, and all appreciation should be given to Him.
Keep rooting for each other, but above all, keep rooting for the Church. Cheer as enthusiastically for Jesus Christ as you do your favorite team. Only together can we begin to defeat the forces of evil. Imagine those 111,000 fans in Beaver Stadium simultaneously breaking into a recitation of the Our Father or a verse of Immaculate Mary! What a powerful statement that would make. I leave you with a quote from Pope Pius XII on sports. He said, “Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.” Praise God for creating each of us, and may we grow to be the biggest fans of one another in His Name!
Jonathan Nagy, M.Ed., is the Dean of Students, Director of Alumni Relations, and Social Studies teacher at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Ebensburg. He is also the Music Director at the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel in Loretto.
