Evangelization through athletics |
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Written by JEFF MIELCAREK, Director of CYO Athletics
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Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:00 |
Evangelization is a big word in the Catholic church these days, and in our diocese we are encouraging people to evangelize more than ever.
The word evangelization means to go out and spread the message of the Gospel. This can be done in a number of ways and we are all encouraged to do our part.
The athletic arena is certainly one place that evangelization can be done often. In CYO Athletics we have an opportunity as coaches, players, officials and spectators to cross paths with many different people throughout a sports season. These people might be on our own team or may be from other teams we cross paths with throughout the course of a season.
 Everyone is dealing with different issues with their faith and most don’t wear these issues on their sleeves. That being said, we are given many opportunities to make a lasting impression on others.
We can evangelize through both our words and our actions. The way we handle different situations goes a long way in how people look at us and our Catholic faith. A unique part of evangelization in the athletic arena is that it presents so many different opportunities. Many times these opportunities are not moments that we are able to prepare ourselves for before they occur. Unlike the diocesan parishioners who went door to door during the month of October with a prepared script in hand, most of the time in athletics, we just have to react to situations. When we act “the way that Jesus would” we are evangelizing.
I have often said that if we handle athletics in the way “Jesus would” we are “baiting the hook” for others. “Baiting the hook” for others to see and join us in the Catholic Church because they want to be a part of something special. There are people who struggle with their faith that continue to look for a sign or an invitation to come back or to enter into the Catholic Church. We can be that sign or that invitation through the way that we handle these athletic opportunities.
Handling tough situations in a Christian manner rather than flying off the handle because something didn’t go our way is one way that we can evangelize through athletics. Obviously, there are plenty of times when things don’t go our way so we have many opportunities to evangelize. The way we handle athletics as a whole can also be a great opportunity to evangelize. How do others in the athletic arena look at you? Do they see you as a positive role model, who practices the Catholic faith beyond the church pew, or as someone who is just out to win at all costs no matter who we need to step on to win?
In CYO Athletics there are so many people who just do things the right way, and because of this they are quietly evangelizing all the time. Unfortunately, these people are not the ones we often hear about. We mostly hear about the bad situations where people fail to act in a Christian manner.
I continue to keep the faith that there are a lot more people who act properly than not in the athletic arena, and it’s up to those people to continue to do this in order to evangelize to the others around them.
We need to look at everyone in the athletic arena as “gifts from God.” The fact we aren’t all wearing the same uniform — and some people even wear shirts with stripes on them — does not change the fact that we are all “gifts from God” and should be treated in that manner. When more people begin to look at the athletic arena as a place to evangelize maybe we can improve the overall atmosphere at some athletic events.
As you hear the ball bouncing in the gyms, see kids smiling in the gyms and hear people having fun you will know that there is some evangelizing going on. Keep “baiting the hook,” “spreading the good news” and “shaping the faith of our youth field by field.”
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:00 |
