God Loves a Good Gane of Baseball
God Loves a Good Game of Baseball
Ministry and evangelization in 2012 must be embraced by people who believe in Jesus Christ and who live to be His hands and heart. All actions, all inactions and all words spoken are an opportunity to live and preach the gospel. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” It is through our daily living that we bring the Good News to everyone we know and meet. Opportunities to evangelize to people who may or may not know Jesus are abundant. A baseball team and a baseball game are beautiful metaphors for life and for the Good News of the gospel. Through sport, whether playing, coaching, administering, mentoring or officiating, the actions of Jesus can be found. As more and more people do not actively participate in a religious organization, disciples must look for meaningful and relevant ways to draw people back to God with our actions. In our North American culture, many behaviors, phrases and sayings come from baseball, just as many come from the bible. Ironically, many people do not realize that they are referring to either one. The rules of living a life honoring God our Father are outlined in the bible in both the Old and New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians 3:14 he says: “I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Jesus Christ.” In Luke 9:25 Luke puts perspective on winning and losing with “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself.” In baseball, the rules are spelled out in rule books, with the effects and consequences described in detail. In many circumstances, we may be uncertain of the interpretation of a guideline or a rule. In the Church, we have the Magisterium and the Catechism to assist our understanding and in baseball we have governing bodies and umpires. We cannot live or act in isolation based on our own interpretation of the rules. We must reach out, listen
Ministry and evangelization in 2012 must be embraced by people who believe in Jesus Christ and who live to be His hands and heart. All actions, all inactions and all words spoken are an opportunity to live and preach the gospel. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” It is through our daily living that we bring the Good News to everyone we know and meet. Opportunities to evangelize to people who may or may not know Jesus are abundant. A baseball team and a baseball game are beautiful metaphors for life and for the Good News of the gospel. Through sport, whether playing, coaching, administering, mentoring or officiating, the actions of Jesus can be found. As more and more people do not actively participate in a religious organization, disciples must look for meaningful and relevant ways to draw people back to God with our actions. In our North American culture, many behaviors, phrases and sayings come from baseball, just as many come from the bible. Ironically, many people do not realize that they are referring to either one. The rules of living a life honoring God our Father are outlined in the bible in both the Old and New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians 3:14 he says: “I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Jesus Christ.” In Luke 9:25 Luke puts perspective on winning and losing with “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself.” In baseball, the rules are spelled out in rule books, with the effects and consequences described in detail. In many circumstances, we may be uncertain of the interpretation of a guideline or a rule. In the Church, we have the Magisterium and the Catechism to assist our understanding and in baseball we have governing bodies and umpires. We cannot live or act in isolation based on our own interpretation of the rules. We must reach out, listen
References: All biblical references are from the New American Bible, 1990‐91 Edition, Printed in the USA. Baseball rules come from many sources as sponsored by governing leagues Author: Kathy Ervin 7 2012‐Nov‐12