In my days as an evangelical Christian (and even occasionally in my decade as a Catholic), I have heard many a pastor suggest that we would get a lot more out of our attendance at Church if we treated it with the same enthusiasm we display toward sporting events.
Some of these pastors, no doubt, would like to see the same kind of cheering in the pews as goes on in the bleachers; others just wish they could look out on Sundays in the Fall and not see so many parishioners in NFL jerseys reminding them silently what our culture thinks the Sabbath is REALLY about.
I have thought about this question often, and I both agree and disagree with the sentiment that we should treat Sunday Mass like the Sunday Ticket. As such, here are five simple ways I think we could benefit from applying the same kinds of attitudes to Church as we do to professional football, followed by five ways we most definitely wouldn’t.
Five Attitudes We Have Toward Football that We Should Have Toward Church
1. Arrange Our Day Around It
In my time zone, the early games start at 1 p.m. That means I need to go to 11 a.m. Mass at the latest if I want to make sure that I’m there for kickoff. If I plan to watch the game socially, I need to make sure I have my faded throwback Cincinnati Bengals T-shirt clean and ready to go. I have my snack plan of attack arranged at least the night before so that I don’t have to waste precious time at the store on Sunday getting ingredients for wing sauce or my secret recipe homemade Chex Mix. I need to read at least a half a dozen articles telling me what to look for in today’s game. My day, essentially, is built around my beloved Bungles, and, as a result, my mood for the day and the rest of the week is influenced by what happens between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sundays. I suspect I am not alone in this.
What if we arranged our day, not around the game, but around attendance at Mass? I’m not saying don’t watch the game; I’m simply saying that we prioritize it properly. Many refer to their fandom as a “second religion,” which seems strange, since for many of us, based on the way we treat football on Sundays, it serves the function of a first religion. What if we made sure the night before that what we wanted to wear to Mass was clean, so that we could wear our reverence for Christ on our very bodies, instead of fumbling through our closets for that “cleanest dirty shirt” before heading out the door? What if we arranged our meal schedule on Sundays with Mass in mind rather than the game, and more diligently honoured the Church’s call to fast for at least an hour before receiving Holy Communion? Would we be more likely to let our experience of the liturgy inform our mood for the rest of the week?
2. Defend the Rule Book
I cannot tell you how many times I have been watching a game when a referee has missed a holding call, or a BLATANTLY OBVIOUS pass interference, and the people with whom I was watching went absolutely insane. Football necessarily operates on a shared understanding of what you can and can’t do. We think of football as an epic battle, a sweeping spectacle, and not just a set of rules (although some may differ with me on that point). The rules are there to protect the players, to add to the enjoyment of the game, and to make sure that no matter what stadium the action is taking place in, everyone knows what’s expected, and what’s not allowed. You cannot make up rules as you go along; neither can you abandon them on a whim. The rules are sacred. We need referees to uphold them to make sure the game is what it is supposed to be.
Doesn’t that apply to Mass, too? We need priests to defend the sanctity of the liturgy as dearly as they possibly can. There may be a temptation to think that a tweak here or there might make Mass more appealing, or that less structure in the Mass might make people feel more comfortable. NEWS FLASH… Few things make us parishioners more uncomfortable than innovations in the liturgy. They make the Mass about the liturgical ministers and not the action on the altar, and that’s just as nerve-wracking as when a referee’s antics make them the centre of the action on the field. Liturgical ministers serve an essential function; to make sure that the focus is on the sacred mysteries. YouTube is loaded with cringe worthy attempts at liturgical innovation. If the sacrament of the altar is the sacrament of unity, we need to be assured that there is consistency from parish to parish in regard to the Mass.
By consistency, I don’t mean that the rules should be objectified and robotically enforced, but that our love for the liturgy and what it brings about should make us want to defend everything that protects, preserves and honours what is most important about being there, namely the reception of the Eucharist. And just to make sure I’m not being misunderstood, I believe that when properly ordered, the liturgy can be honoured, preserved and protected in Traditional Latin Masses in Cathedrals and Basilicas as well as in the vernacular on makeshift altars in combat zones, so long as strong attention to reverence for Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist is the primary guiding principle.
3. Talk About it the Next Day
This one is painfully obvious to me as a broadcaster. A single play in a big game can be discussed, analyzed, critiqued, and speculated upon for hours and days after the fact. We soak in what we saw on Sunday all week, until the next game. We discuss it around the water cooler, on message boards, and on call-in shows. What happened for three hours on a football field on Sunday can dominate our conversation for the entire week.
If you showed up on Monday morning at work or school, and someone were to ask you what the Gospel reading was at Mass over the weekend, would you be able to tell them? Were you paying attention enough during the homily to even be able to say honestly to your pastor on the way out, “good homily?” Would we post to social media our thoughts on what we experienced, the way we might post game highlights? Do we take what we get at Mass out into the world with us, or is it just an obligatory Sunday time filler?
4. Honour the Greats
World class performances on the field inspire us. We tell stories about legends of the game. We retire their numbers, and read interviews with them. We even erect statues of them outside of stadiums.
The NFL has been around for roughly one hundred years. Multiply that by twenty, and that’s how long the Church has been around. Over that time, she has been home to spiritual giants, whose holiness has impacted the world. There’s a reason we have statues of them in our Churches and in our homes. We should want to read what they wrote, to hear stories about them, to get to know them. And not all heroes of our faith have died yet-seek out those people who have a heart for Christ in our parishes, and learn what makes them great. Then go and practice those things and become great yourself.
5. Remember Why You’re Actually There
The game is not about the snacks. It is not about the face paint, the merchandise, the commercials or proving how loyal of a fan you are. To the dismay of many involved in halftime shows, it’s not even about musical performances (although some with marching band backgrounds would argue it’s all just a setup for their big moment). It’s about the action on the field. Take that away, and everything else is pointless.
Similarly, the Mass is not about your attitude, your favourite pew, the family with the misbehaving kids a few rows ahead of you, how much you put in the basket or how well you dress. To the dismay of many involved in liturgical music, it’s not even about that (although some with liturgical music backgrounds would argue it’s all just a setup for their big moment). It’s about the action on the altar. Take that away, and everything else is pointless.
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