So I admit to feelings of being bummed out even though I'm taking off on my first cruise in like forever later this week. But for me and a couple of million close friends from south Louisiana(and beyond) we have been dealing with the aftermath of the Saints armed robbery. By now the events of the game and the incredible firestorm post game are all well know, dissected and discussed to death. But this one will take a long time to get over because it is so egregious and the inactions of the NFL literally changed the trajectory of the Super Bowl. For me, I will not watch the SB game this year in deference to my 50+ loyalty to the New Orleans Saints. I never put a bag on my head, I never quit professing loyalty to the "home" team and I realized the football pinnacle of celebrating my team as Super Bowl Champs(February 2010). It felt like this year was going to be the same as 2010, it really did. Even though the Saints were not always as sharp as they should have been against those cheating Rams, the pass play that resulted in the greatest no-call ever most probably cost the Saints that 2nd Super Bowl. So I'm still bummed, but I know what to do; I will not watch the SB or give any support to the NFL beyond cheering on forever my New Orleans Saints.
As I prepared to watch the game I knew that my church assignments had me assisting and preaching at 6 pm Mass. For days I lamented what if the game goes into OT. Indeed it did. But as that incredibly long FG sailed through the uprights for those cheating Rams, I was so thankful to be heading to Mass. Something about the Catholic Mass, the Eucharist, the Gospel, the gift of preaching that night, were all just what I needed to be reminded for sure about what is most important. And we were not alone; I was very much surprised to see over 150 present for Mass, even those reeling from the Saints debacle.
Football isn't the world but there are also several worldly things that are also "bummed out" worthy. Have you been following the government shutdown? It's ridiculous no matter which side of the debate you are on. While powerful and wealthy people, secure in their own fortunes, refuse to honestly dialogue, everyday paycheck to paycheck people are having their lives impacted by things called furlough, layoff, work for free, etc. Sure the issues to debate are sober and yes we are told that all will eventually get their pay, but in the meantime they struggle. Through no fault of their own, moms and dads have to explain to their kids why they can't: buy food, go out to eat, get new shoes, attend a school event, drive to town and on and on. When powerful people pontificate it is always the less powerful made to suffer. I am glad to see such a robust response by food pantries, various charities and even many business institutions coming to the aid of these affected folks. And yes the Church is right there in the middle of all this as well. Whatever the budget solution needs to be, however we address border security or build a wall, I grieve the impact on the little guy and believe it to be shameful what the powerful do the "salt of the earth".
Another event has contributed to feeling bummed and it is that overblown over-viral event from DC between Catholic school boys and some adults who seem to be relishing in their "20 seconds of fame". It literally took seconds to uniformly and uninformedly throw these boys under the bus; the media crucified them, those with a certain political agenda crucified them but then sadly here come crucifixion from the Catholic diocese and Catholic school from which they came. Now I'm sure there was quite a bit of boys will be boys actions embedded in the event, but isn't it amazing how much truth came forward when a broader body of evidence was presented. Meanwhile these are boys, average age of 16 and a wholesale crusade, including piling on by many members of the Church, sought to ruin their lives; talk of expulsion from school and declaring what punks they must be without knowing anything. A judgmental lot we most certainly are! Here is the real deal. Friday was the March for Life. It is pretty much well known that this march, to protest the evil of abortion and the law that safeguards such evil, was going to be this day; it would dominate all things in DC and the marchers would be primarily Christians. And knowing a little of which I speak, all those Christians are led by about 75% Catholic turnout and many of it youth groups from across many, many dioceses. And since the Pro-Life cause is also political there is no mistake that this would mean that among these Christians, mostly Catholics, would be political leaning Republicans since that is the party in today's reality that backs a Pro-Life agenda. So the fact that a radical group calling themselves Hebrew something or another and indigenous people were roaming the streets of DC inside the largest march that DC ever experiences anymore, in the March for Life, is to me suspicious at best. Whatever this all was, it was intended to call into question the Pro-Life movement and hopefully demonstrate that Pro-Life people are a bunch of back home hillbillies who are not properly enlightened and hate anyone and everyone that does not act or look like them. Sadly they descended on a bunch of Catholic "boys" from Kentucky. And the press and the left and even some, I stress some, inside the Church were all too quick to pounce. Shame on them.
This one really has bummed me out because what gets swept under the rug, what does not get covered by the media, what is hidden as best the left can hide it is the overwhelming response and success to the March for Life, thankfully in large part to incredible Catholic witness; and many of those Catholics are young people; a generation I find to be fiercely in love with the Lord, loyal to the Church and incredibly Pro-Life. They also understand the Godliness of things like abstinence over a jacked-up, hook up culture of casual sex and chemical birth control and they also understand the righteousness of marriage being one man and one woman. This is an incredible testimony of these pro-life Catholic kids because it is so anti-cultural. These kids, despite trying to live Catholic morals and teaching, have all the opposite values thrust in their face daily. Still they persevere. And when an opportunity arrived this week to at least accept and defend these young people, they were failed, especially by Catholic adults. Bummed out.
But last night I facilitated our parish Bible study and of course we found great lessons in the hope and promise offered by Jesus the Christ in all kinds of troubled times. More Jesus and less "all that" helps cure the feeling of being bummed out.
Trust in the plan of God for our lives and fidelity to all the teachings of His Holy Church will always see us through anything; even that darn Saints game!
Bummed out? Rest in the Lord; be a follower of hope!
No comments:
Post a Comment