Father Shelton and I make classroom visits throughout the week in our parish school. This usually leads to to us taking questions or picking up one the teacher's lessons. Recently I was asked a very serious question from one of our students; a question so serious that it is worth our own meditation.
I was asked what is God's favorite sport. Thankfully there was a sister in the room to supply some of her wisdom. Her answer was not to the negative, but rather that God's favorite sport is the race towards Heaven. It should be our desire to be numbered as one of the saints of Heaven. This is a very wise response indeed because God wants all of us to be holy and to follow after Him.
In Saint Paul's Letter to Timothy we were instructed: "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." Indeed God's favorite sport is not football, basketball, nor soccer; rather it is to compete well, to finish the race, and to have kept the faith. In other words God's favorite sport is endurance upon the journey which leads us towards Heaven.
On November 1st we will celebrate All Saint's Day which will give us the opportunity to direct our sight towards all of the saint's of Heaven. Those who are known by name as well as those who are unknown by name. Those found Heaven have competed well, finished the race, and have kept the faith. They serve as our inspiration to do the same. The saints are not some far off concept who are kept at a distance, but rather they have set their sight upon God and continued to move forward towards Him.
If we are to compete well, finish the race, keep the faith, and thus be like the saints we must continue to entrust ourself to prayer. The Book of Sirach reminds us that our prayers pierce the clouds and they do not rest until they have reached their goal. Our goal is Heaven and thus we must continue to bombard Heaven with our prayers. We must bombard Heaven with our prayers concerning the sick, dying, and deceased. We must bombard Heaven with our prayers out of thanksgiving, petition, and out of adoration. We must bombard Heaven as a family who have come together in a spirit of prayer thus teaching children that they too are called to become saints.
Not only must we pray, but we must also be sorry for our sins. In our Gospel there was a man who was sorry and out of penance he struck his breastplate in sorrow. We too strike our breastplate when we cry out "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." This is why the doors to the confessional are extended wide for you; because we are all sinners who are in need of the mercy of God. The saints did not live in denial of their sin, but rather their love for God led them towards sorrow and thus their love for God led them to encounter God's mercy.
Therefore, may we be willing to partake in God's favorite sport. May we be willing to compete well, finish the race, and keep the faith. May we strive to be numbered as the saints who now stand victorious in the Kingdom of Heaven.
