PUT ME IN COACH!! – A Reflection By Mike McGovern
In a scripture reflection I read in America Media, Michael Simone, S.J. recounts a tale about his sponsorship of a young man who had no religious affiliation, but said he was a fan of Christianity as a social force and for Father Simone’s ministry as a priest. At one point when the young man was talking about how much he respected the positive things that Christians had done for the world, Fr. Simone thought he saw an opportunity for evangelization. So he told the young man “You know, you could join us whenever you want!” The young man quipped “Mike, I respect the New England Patriots too, but I’m not going to show up at practice to run drills and take snaps. C’mon!” Fr. Simone wrote that the young man had intuited a truth about discipleship that he had never articulated to himself, i.e. Anyone can be a fan. It takes a different level of commitment to join the team – to be a teammate!
How about us? Have we been “fans” of Our Lord Jesus? If we are reading this reflection, we think of ourselves as followers of Jesus. We have great admiration and gratitude for Christ, but could we
be doing more in terms of our commitment to try to follow Him in our day to day living? Could we be better “teammates” of Christ?
In reading about the conversion of St Paul, I came across the words that Ananias said to Paul right after he told him “Saul, my brother, regain your sight”. In Acts 22:14-15, Ananias told Paul: “The God of our ancestors designated you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard.”
Having made the Cursillo, we learned and we know how much we are loved by God. We have heard His voice, and we know His will. And we have read in St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, “For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance….”
In preparation for the upcoming 2024 baseball season, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for their first workouts on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday, February 14th. It is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and our chance to renew/rededicate ourselves to our spiritual workouts. If we want to make the team, we know what it takes: PRAYER – RECEIVING THE SACRAMENTS (especially the Eucharist) – READING GOD’S WORD – GOOD WORKS – SELF SACRIFICE.
Christ calls us to be perfect as His Father in heaven is perfect, BUT no matter how much we desire to spread the Light of Christ and be His witnesses in our world today, our humanness will still get in our way at times. He knows us and loves us and our efforts anyway. May each of us put in the effort to be better teammates! DECOLORES!!!