The time we spend preparing

Football season has begun. Last weekend we had the “big game” for the state of Iowa with the University of Iowa playing Iowa State University. It is always fun to see the events leading up to the game, as well as the game itself. Before anyone asks, I am apolitical when it comes to this game. I usually say, that I want the team that is going to be the best at the end of the year to win, and I hope for no injuries during it.

Sports have become a huge deal in our country, in many ways it is a great way to relax and watch, and playing sports is also a good and enjoyable way to get some exercise. With football season started, I am reminded of the old adage “the best offense is a good defense.” In football this is definitely the case, the shorter time that the opponent’s offense is on the field, the less chance they have to score, and the more your offense is on the field, the more chances you have to score. How about using this in our spiritual life, the best offense in our lives is some good defensive prayer.

I know many different people who are in fantasy football leagues, I was even in a few myself in the past, and it is interesting how much time some people can spend researching the players and teams to put together a team of players. Some people spend weeks doing the research and preparing for the big draft. How about picking out a spiritual team of prayers? Find some saints that you can relate to and ask them each and every day to help you. I once heard a priest state “I wish we would be as prepared for Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as we will prepare for the big game.”

We so often spend hours a week practicing for a sport, on the internet, or watching television and then we turn around and say that we have a hard time finding 15 minutes to pray. I know in my own life, I sometimes find it hard to pray, or difficult to “find the time” when in reality, I have just chosen to do something different. As I went through some social media, as well as some news stories, I saw that people will spend hours getting ready for a game of their favorite team. I have friends that used to leave their houses at 4:00 am so that they could get to the stadium for a tailgate for a game that begins at 3:00 pm.

What if we spent just a fraction of that time preparing for something greater than just a game? What if instead of 11 hours before the game, we would spend 30 minutes going over the readings for the Mass each Sunday? How would that excitement and love of the Eucharist encourage our children or others around us?

In the end, no matter how big the game is, it is still a game. The Mass is a matter of life and death, life with Christ, or death without, and that is the reason, that we attach ourselves to the author of life itself in his Body and Blood.

God bless,
Fr. Ken