Game 6: An Apt Analogy

It's taken a few days for the sting to wear off a bit, but I am ready to talk about the World Series.  I was hoping to be writing a post about celebration and teamwork, instead I find myself reflecting on Game 6.  I made a presentation to the RCIA group yesterday and it hit me as I was beginning that Game 6 is a apt analogy for our spiritual walk or should I say race.

The race we are in is not for a pennant, but for the beatific vision - the Face of God.  St. Paul says in Hebrews (Heb 12:1) that we should "persevere to run the race that is before us."  That is exactly what the Cardinals did; they didn't give up. Even down to their last strike (twice!).  We need to take that same attitude into our spiritual lives, never giving up. We need not giving into despair (like Judas - see the scene in the Passions of the Chris).

On the flip side, we should never become so comfortable as to think we have finished the race, that we have closed the game.  We need to persevere in our pursuit of holiness, up to the very last strike, our last breath.

Baseball - A Catholic Sport?

Ok, so I won't lie, I was looking for an excuse to post about the World Series. I am beside myself because the Texas Rangers are one game away from their first World Series championship.  I have followed the team since 1972 when my Dad took me to the Arlington Stadium to see the Rangers play the Oakland A's who would go on to win the Series that year.

This weekend, one of our Joe Catholic and RCIA catechists brought up the World Series wager between St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson and Ft. Worth Bishop Kevin Vann.  The point he made in bringing up the World Series wager was that Catholicism doesn't have to be a stuffy religion about rules and regulations. While there is a place for rules (10 Commandments) and regulations (liturgical rubrics), we also find God in the ordinary corners of our lives.

In honor of the World Series I have collected a few articles written on the subject of Catholicism and Baseball.  If you only have time to read one, start with A Perfect Game.

Catholic Dads - Catholicism and Baseball

Catechist's Journey - Catholicism and Baseball

First Things - A Perfect Game