‘Opening Day’ – or ‘Hope Springs Eternal’

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

On this past Friday, March 25, I was privileged, along with priests, deacons, seminarians, religious, and lay faithful throughout our Diocese, to join with Pope Francis and the universal Church in the Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and throughout the world. In the midst of all the challenges that we face on the global, national, local, and personal levels, both material and spiritual challenges, we can learn that there are times when “taking a break” from the seriousness of life and our struggles can actually help us to face and deal with challenges.

It could be something as simple as getting some fresh air, doing some exercise, enjoying a good book or music, or a hobby or pastime that can give us some relief and help us to “recharge our batteries,” as we face our daily struggles and/or times of crisis, pain, or worry. Last year, in mid-February, I wrote a column about my favorite pastime, baseball. The title of that column was “Pitchers and Catchers” and Some Lessons to be Learned. I wrote about the phrase “pitchers and catchers” and its meaning for baseball fans, that spring training was finally beginning and the start of the baseball season was getting closer.

I would like to take this opportunity, once again, to turn to baseball and offer some thoughts on the way in which a game can teach us something about life and, perhaps, even help us in difficult times, maybe even help in our spiritual lives. You may know that “pitchers and catchers” (spring training) for baseball was delayed this year, not because of COVID, but because of a work stoppage, as the players were locked out by the owners until a new contract could be agreed upon. In those negotiations, just at the moment when things seemed to be at their worst, when the season was going to be delayed at least two weeks and it seemed that there would not be a full season, an agreement was reached on March 10 and the season was saved. Now baseball fans are once again looking forward to “Opening Day,” the first day of the season, an exciting and long-awaited day for baseball fans, which will be on Thursday, April 7.

One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams, a baseball movie from 1989 that made popular the phrase “If you build it, they will come.” One of the themes of that movie is that baseball, as our national pastime, has been and continues to be a reflection of who we are as a people and nation — the “good, the bad, and the ugly.” I believe that the recent lockout — as well as some of the recent developments concerning the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine mandates — make an argument that baseball (and sports) continue to tell us something about who we are and what we value.

I also believe that Field of Dreams captures something even deeper, that baseball (and what it says about us) can give us reasons to be optimistic and to have hope. Toward the end of the movie, a character (Terrance Mann), played by the great actor James Earl Jones, tells the main character (Ray Kinsella), played by Kevin Kostner, that he should keep the baseball field he had built in the middle of his farm. If you google: “Field of Dreams James Earl Jones speech,” you can watch the three-minute monologue. It is a great speech and a wonderful moment in the movie, but as I went back and listened to it again, I was surprised to hear how relevant the message is today.

In the course of the monologue, Mann says to Ray:

“… People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game — it’s part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that was once good and could be again. Ohhhhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.”

Despite this somewhat romantic assessment of the game of baseball and its place in our nation, there are many who say baseball is in decline. When you look at the number of young people choosing to play soccer, lacrosse, basketball, or football compared to those playing baseball, you could probably make a good argument that baseball is not as popular as it has been in the past. For those who might be called “die-hard” fans, we are hoping that things may eventually turn around.

My reason for writing about baseball at this time is not to offer a commentary on the current state of the game, rather, as we approach “Opening Day,” it is to share something that I believe is captured when James Earl Jones’ character says the words, “It reminds us of all that was once good and could be again.” As people of faith, it is important for us to be aware of or attentive to experiences, perhaps even those found in games, hobbies, or pastimes that can “remind us of all that was once good and could be again.” For a baseball fan, hearing the phrase “Opening Day” means a new season and “new hope” that this may be the year when one’s team will go all the way. For fans of college basketball and many casual fans, the “March Madness” of the NCAA college basketball tournaments can have a similar feeling, i.e. the St. Peter’s Peacocks from Jersey City, a true “Cinderella story!” For golf fans, when The Masters Tournament starts (it also begins on April 7 this year), it is a sure sign that spring has arrived.

We are all aware of the serious challenges and struggles that we face. On a spiritual level, one way to describe those struggles is the “mystery of the Cross.” As we move along on our journey of Lent, getting closer to Holy Week and Easter, we know that we have to journey with Jesus and our Blessed Mother to Calvary, on Good Friday. We are aware that our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are suffering under a very “heavy cross” at this time, but we also know that the mystery of the Cross leads to the victory and joy of the Resurrection at Easter. We should be grateful for those who walk the journey with us and for those little blessings along the way that, for a few moments, can lighten the burdens we carry and can give us hope. For me and for many, one of those little blessings is “Opening Day.”