Host: 00:00

Welcome to Saint Patrick Catholic Community Podcast. We're glad you're with us.

Fr. Eric: 00:10

For many many years, popes would ask Catholics to pray for a specific intention for once a month. And this past June, Pope Leo asked Catholics throughout the world to pray for a special intention, the value of sports. The value of sports. Now, Pope Leo is a big sports fan. First of all, he in a conversation with a young boy in Europe, he revealed that he played American football on the defensive line.

Fr. Eric: 00:44

He is a great tennis player. And recently, he was visited by a favorite player of his from the White Sox who he's a fan of from Chicago for baseball. He's retired and in meeting the pope, he gave him a baseball of the last out of one of the games that year that, of the world series that the White Sox won. And then handing it the ball to Pope Leo, he goes, you know, the White Sox are in first place. And Pope Leo goes, I know I keep watch.

Fr. Eric: 01:17

He is someone who understands sports. In that, he's saying sports is the way that breaks down barriers and helps people to be open to culture and other people, and the good thing of building good character and many things that apply to good sports. One of his quote is this, in life, as in the game, no one is saved alone. In life, as in the game, no one is saved alone. Pope Leo always uses Catholic social teaching as a background because Catholic social teaching talks about cooperation, mutual respect, and that we are not individualistic.

Fr. Eric: 02:04

That we always think in community and always are in relationship with one another. I think Pope Leo knew what he was doing because it was about time for our country and Canada and Mexico to host the World Cup. Hasn't that been amazing? Have you been watching the news, lady, lately about that? People are blown away by American hospitality.

Fr. Eric: 02:31

People from Asia, from Europe, from South America are hooked on ranch dressing. They love free refills. They are enjoying the Tartan Army of Scotland, went to Boston, and they drank all the beer in Boston. They ran out of beer that time and all. But they also learned each other's chants and songs of the team.

Fr. Eric: 02:57

Kansas people in Kansas welcomed the Argyll Argyll Algerian, community there, the team, and played their national anthem and welcomed them and fed them and learned about their culture as well. The Japanese fans have a custom that after game, they clean up the section that they stayed in there, so much so that the Portugal fans looked at that, and they decided to start doing the same thing. But many new stories have talked about hospitality, how these guests have been blown away by our country's hospitality and breaking down those barriers. Many of them were honest and said, we were told and we've heard stories that it's not safe here, that people are not very friendly. And yet, that turned around.

Fr. Eric: 03:48

And, you know, that's the kingdom of God. And that's the best of what makes our country great, that when governments all over the world preach fear, mistrust, and always point out enemies to be fearful for? When it comes down to human relationships, no government can stop that. People on basic levels want to be good. Here, more ranch dressing.

Fr. Eric: 04:17

Here, more diet coke. And you know, that's relationship. And that's when those barriers are broken down. Today's three readings talk about that for us and God's desire that humans are hospitable, but are working always for the common good. Our first reading from Zechariah chapter nine talks about Jerusalem.

Fr. Eric: 04:42

Here is your king. The king is announced in the world. And this king, who we would say is Jesus, comes not on a war horse, ready to conquer and go to war, but the court but this king comes with humility riding on an ass. Sorry. That's not a bad word.

Fr. Eric: 05:04

That's a that's what you call a donkey. And in that, he comes with great humility. And here's what it says. He has come to bring peace to the nations. Peace can only happen when people talk, when people care, when there's mutual respect.

Fr. Eric: 05:23

And that's God's desire. That's God's plan for all of us here. And it says this dominion, this power of peace, people caring for one another will be to all the ends of the earth from sea to sea. Paul continues that theme by saying all of us are called to live in the spirit, the spirit of Christ. He avoids asks us to avoid a spirit of the flesh.

Fr. Eric: 05:50

Now flesh is more than just carnal desires. When Saint Paul talks about the flesh, he's talking about malice, anger, division, things that cause pain in other people's life. He says, we don't live by the flesh. What we do is we live by the spirit of Christ that each one of us has. If we're a Christian, if we take our baptism seriously, the spirit of Christ lives within us.

Fr. Eric: 06:20

And it's about love, about building, about hospitality, about seeing the common good and the good in one another. That's what Saint Paul is saying and reminding us that all Christians live by the spirit of Christ. In today's gospel, Matthew chapter 11, it's about the unique relationship of the father and the son. And in that, that love that they have that Jesus offers to us who find life burden burdensome, that there might be a heavy burden that we're carrying that's just overwhelming. Or for most of us, it's many burdens.

Fr. Eric: 07:02

It's not just one, but it's little ones or maybe ones that are very serious that seem to add up. And what God is saying is that you will find rest, that you don't do it alone. You are not saved alone. And so what he is saying that we care for each other in burdens, that we can lift people's burdens, breaking down barriers, offering hospitality, offering dignity and respect. And many times burdens of people in their lives are lessened when we give rest to others.

Fr. Eric: 07:41

All three readings today speak about the kingdom of God in living that way. And so I'd ask you to think about that. Governments will still contend to use languages that divide. That's let's be honest. That's what's happening.

Fr. Eric: 07:59

All of us when we go home tonight and this week, when we go on media, social media, all, there are words that are gonna cause people to be feared by others, to mistrust, to name call, to divide, to even unfortunately hate. So what do we do? Do we shake our fist at the world and go, oh, this is awful. Oh, this is terrible. But what we can do?

Fr. Eric: 08:25

Here's exactly what we do. Look at the relationships in front of you and offer hospitality. You blow people away by that. Because sometimes you and I are in family relationships that are really difficult. Maybe, unfortunately, some of us here, because that's in many places where families stop talking to one another.

Fr. Eric: 08:50

Families cut off one another. Long time friendships have been cut off. Maybe we have been cut off. No matter what we struggle with or what we believe that we've lost those friendships there. And one of the most powerful things to do is what?

Fr. Eric: 09:08

To be able to offer hospitality. No government can stop that. No leader can force you not to offer hospitality. Only if you listen to that horrible language and a horrible way of being. And so our response then to a world that's broken is how are relationships in front of you?

Fr. Eric: 09:37

Do you need extra ranch dressing? Would you like a little more diet coke? They're free. Would you like to join our tailgate? And we eat and drink all day.

Fr. Eric: 09:53

Think about that in our lives. To deal with the words that Pope Leo and the scripture say today. In life as in the game, no one is saved alone.

Host: 10:15

This has been a Saint Patrick Catholic Community Podcast. For more of our shows, go to our website and click Saint Patrick's Studio.