At the rehearsal for today’s
celebration, I promised the confirmands a homily about sports, mentioning my
long history as an athlete. Now I have to tell you, only one student laughed,
and I think he was a bit embarrassed. I, on the other hand, was pleased that at
least one of the students I was confirming was honest!
(My father says that as soon
as I had my picture taken in my hockey uniform in grade five, I was finished
with the sport and thereafter the jersey was used as a Halloween costume for my
siblings.)
Anyway, despite my famous –
infamous – lack of athletic ability, it’s been my privilege and pleasure to
know three professional athletes in the course of my priesthood.
The first was Jamie Taras of
the BC Lions - a wonderful man that I knew at the height of his playing career
despite the fact that I don’t know the difference between a touchdown and a
field goal.
The second was Trevor Linden,
who became a good friend at the height of his hockey career even though I don’t
know the difference between icing and offside.
I learned much from these two
men - but not as much as I learned from a second BC Lion, whom I certainly didn’t
know at the height of his playing career – which came when I was nine years
old. His name is Don Vicic.
When Don Vicic came to speak to
our men’s group last week at what we call the “godly hour” of 6:00 am, his
title was “My Three Coaches,” so I prepared to be bored because I wouldn’t know
who they were except for his college coach. He surprised me enormously and
delighted me when it turned out I knew two of his three coaches. And, in fact,
they had nothing to do with sports.
These “coaches” were those he counted as his teachers and heroes. And the first was a parishioner at Christ the Redeemer, with whom I worked before I was a priest and whose funeral I celebrated right here. His name was George O’Leary.
George was a truly gracious and remarkable man who fought in the Pacific and was almost killed three times.
Don greatly admired this
business leader – this fellow Catholic. So he went and told George he was
preparing to retire. George said, “Don, you need a vision in retirement or you
will be dead in three years. You need goals so clear you can see them!”
So, a dozen years ago, Don
made these goals: “to grow my spiritual life, my health, my wealth, and my education.”
The last of these he did by visiting 125 battlefields from both the first and
second World Wars.
That was twelve years ago, and
Don says they have been the best years of his life.
To keep my homily short, I
will skip the second coach, who was an author and a life skills coach who gave
Don some wonderful advice including “avoid negative thoughts” which the author
calls “ANTS”. He calls expressing thanks to others an ANT-eater, which is a pretty good image for
those of us who try to have an attitude of gratitude.
So far so good: I knew 50% of
his coaches and their advice seemed solid.
And then he came to the third. Someone I not only knew but know. Don Vicic told us that his greatest coach and greatest hero was Jesus Christ.
He said, “it took me forty-five
years to get there… I never understood the personal relationship with Jesus.”
Forty-five years of churchgoing, forty-five years of supporting his parish,
forty-five years of good family life, and he hadn’t met Jesus in a way that
would fully guide and inspire and direct this fine man who wanted to be better
– who wanted life to be fuller.
Often I think whether you’re
young or older, we feel that we have a duty to know the Lord or even an
obligation, a word I hate. What Don understood was that we have an opportunity,
we have a privilege, we have a joy.
I think even the most
religious person – and certainly those getting confirmed – has a right to ask,
“What’s in it for me? What difference does it make with this Holy Spirit
stuff?”
Here’s Don Vicic’s answer, “If
I had known Christ personally when I was twenty, I’d have been a better
athlete. If I had known Christ personally when I was twenty, I’d have been a
better businessman, father and husband.”
This is someone who was a
great athlete, a great businessman, a fine father and husband, saying that if
he had known Jesus forty-five years earlier he says he would have been better.
Specifically, he said that when Jesus coached him after He finally gave Jesus
the chance after retirement, the coach said, “You are a son. You are an heir.
You are made by God. You are loved by God. You are of infinite value.”
Now this is what God says to
you, dear confirmands, this morning. “You are sons and daughters, my sons and
daughters. You are made by me, created by me inwardly and outwardly. You are
loved by me. You are of infinite value to me and to the world.”
Don concluded his remarks
with, “What a coach!” And I would say, what lessons! We can learn them today
because they are not difficult, they’re not complicated. And eventually we will
be able to say with Don Vicic, “What energy my Catholic faith gives me, allowing
me to have a relationship with Christ!”
I am very grateful to Don Vicic, first for allowing me to make his inspiring presentation the basis for my Confirmation homily, and now for graciously permitting me to share his thoughts on my blog. Thank you, Don!
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