Opening Day, March Madness and the Rites of Spring

“… All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. Do you not know that runners in the stadium all run the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
1 Cor 9:23–27
 

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

I am not sure if there is a “rule” or “standard” that establishes something as an “annual tradition,” but as I move towards the completion of my third year as bishop and as I have done some things for the third consecutive year, I get the sense that some things could become an “annual tradition.”

At this time last year, I wrote a column about “Opening Day” of the Baseball Season and the “hope that springs eternal.” In February of 2021, I wrote about the beginning of baseball’s “Spring Training,” the phrase “pitchers and catchers,” and some of the lessons that sports can teach us. Therefore, as I write this year, I am hoping that readers will indulge me in what may become an annual column at this time of year, considering some of the connections between sports and the spiritual life.

For those who may not be sports fans, we can remember that Jesus told his disciples and calls us to be “in the world, but not of the world” (Jn 17:14–15) and that St. Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council called Christians to pay attention to and learn from the “signs of the times.” Certainly, we need to be attentive to the “signs of the times” as we see them in politics, economics, culture, art, and many other areas of life. Some of those areas surely are more important than others, but each has its unique impact and influence. Whether or not sports are of personal interest to an individual, I think we can agree that sports have a significant impact, both positively and negatively, on and in our culture, society, and nation.

While sports were important to me from a very early age, it was during my high school years that I first was introduced (or paid attention) to the idea that there were things about sports (lessons) that could be connected and compared to our “spiritual life” or how we live our faith. I don’t recall the exact moment when I was first introduced to the ideas that St. Paul presents to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 9:23–27 (quoted above), but I have returned to those words and ideas countless times over the years. They are one example to me of what we mean when we say that the “Word of God is alive.” We believe that each time we read or hear God’s Word from the Bible, through faith and prayer, we can “hear” God speaking to us at that very moment.

“Run so as to win.” I think that anyone who has played or watched any kind of competitive athletic competition can understand what St. Paul is challenging his hearer or reader to do — “give it your best,” “try your very best,” “stay focused, determined, and committed, giving every ounce of effort.” There are many ways to express this invitation and challenge. While Jesus did not mention a comparison with an athlete during His “Sermon on the Mount,” He does challenge us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) The dedicated athlete may not be striving for “perfection” in the spiritual life or the works of charity, but there is a “striving for perfection” that can be part of both athletic training and competition. St. Paul makes the important distinction that the athlete strives for a “perishable crown” while the Christian strives for the “imperishable” prize. As he continues with the analogy, “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way,” he tells the Corinthians (and us) that he “… drives (his) body and trains it” so that he can authentically teach the Good News of salvation. Here, especially in the Season of Lent, we are reminded of the value of “spiritual sacrifice,” that by denying our body through fasting and abstinence, we are disciplining ourselves for a greater (spiritual) good.

As I have shared before, the end of March and early April is a wonderful time of year for sports fans or, at least, for baseball, basketball, and/or golf fans. The end of winter and the beginning of spring officially come on March 21, but for baseball fans, it comes on “Opening Day” (this year, March 30 for both Yankees and Mets fans). The “March Madness” that is the NCAA Basketball Tournament is an example of the occasions or events when sports can cross some boundaries and engage not only the “die-hard” and casual fans but also many who usually pay little or no attention to sports. Whether it is by filling out the tournament “brackets” in an office or other “pool” (competition) or following a “Cinderella Story” of a small, low-ranked school winning games by “upsetting” heavily ranked favorites, the tournament offers some wonderful and inspiring stories every year. As I write these words, New Jersey’s own Princeton and Fairleigh Dickinson Universities have just pulled off stunning upsets of higher-ranked teams. Many will recall the excitement and attention last year when St. Peter’s University from Jersey City made it all the way to the “Elite Eight,” one win from the “Final Four.”

Whether it is sports or some other hobby, interest, or form of “re-creation,” opportunities to “escape” for a brief time from the seriousness and challenges of day-to-day living can be beneficial to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. St. Paul compared the spiritual life to the athlete running the race, but St. Paul also became aware that we are called to share in the cross of our Lord Jesus so that we may share in His (ultimate) victory, as He conquered sin and death through His suffering, death, and Resurrection.

As beautiful as this time of year is, both for the sports fan and in nature, as winter turns to spring, the end of March and beginning of April lead us, each year, towards the end of Lent and the beauty of Holy Week and Easter. In whatever words or comparisons we may use, let us pray for one another during these days that we may truly, “Run so as to win.”