TODAY IS ALL-IRELAND HURLING FINAL DAY. ONE OF THE BIGGEST DAYS IN THE IRISH SPORTING CALANDER AND WITH LIMERICK’S INVOLVEMENT A GAME OF HUGE INTEREST TO EVERYONE IN THE COUNTY. LUIMNEACH ABU: WE WISH THEM – AND INDEED CORK – THE VERY BEST THIS AFTERNOON.
YOU MAY THINK THAT BECAUSE I AM WEARING GREEN VESTMENTS THAT I AM SUPPORTING LIMERICK. NO, GREEN IS THE LITURGICAL COLOUR FOR THIS SUNDAY. AND ANYWAY, THERE ARE SOME RED ROSES BEHIND ME SO THAT CORK COLOURS ARE ALSO REPRESENTED!
BUT YOU KNOW SPORT CAN BE CRUEL AND FICKLE AT TIMES. THE HIGHER THE LEVEL OF SPORT, THE MORE FICKLE IT CAN GET.
THERE IS NO DOUBTING THE MANY BENEFITS FOR ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. BUT THE DOWNSIDE IS THAT SPORT CAN SOMETIMES HARM PEOPLE – FROM YOUNG SPORTS PEOPLE TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES – SPORT CAN BE FICKLE.
UNDERAGE SPORT CAN BE FICKLE. AT A SCHOOLS HURLING SEMI FINAL A 15 -YEAR-OLD PLAYER HAD A FREE TO WIN THE GAME.
THE FREE WAS THE LAST PLAY OF THE GAME. IT WAS BESIDE THE TOUCHLINE.
IT WAS AN ENORMOUS BURDEN TO PUT ON HIS YOUNG SHOULDERS.
WHAT A FRIGHTENING SITUATION FOR ANY 15-YEAR-OLD TO FIND HIMSELF IN!
HE STRUCK THE BALL AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ON ITS WAY BUT AT THE LAST MOMENT A GUST OF WIND MOVED IT OFF COURSE. NOW IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING WIDE BUT THE BALL THEN HIT THE UPRIGHT. IT WENT UP IN THE AIR AND ON ITS WAY DOWN IT HIT THE CROSSBAR – IT WENT UP IN THE AIR AGAIN – AND THEN LO-AND-BEHOLD – BOUNCED BACK OUT. GAME OVER. HIS TEAM LOST THE REPLAY
THAT 15-YEAR-OLD WAS OFTEN REMINDED IN LATER LIFE OF HIS MISSED FREE TO WIN THE GAME – AS IF THIS WAS AN INDICATION OF SOME KIND OF A FLAW IN HIS PERSONAL CHARACTER.
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER IS AT THE PINNCALE OF PROFESSIONAL SPORT.
MARKUS RASHFORD IS A BRILLIANT YOUNG SOCCER PLAYER FROM MANCHESTER. BY ALL ACCOUNTS HE IS A REMARKABLE YOUNG MAN: A COMMITTED CHRISTIAN WHO FUNDS A CHARITY WHICH GIVES FREE LUNCHES TO UNDERPRIVILIDGED CHILDREN IN THE MANCHESTER AREA.
RECENTLY HE LEARNT HOW FICKLE SPORTS FANS CAN BE WHEN HE MISSED A PENALTY THAT MIGHT HAVE WON ENGLAND THE EUROPEAN CUP. AS A RESULT OF THE MISS ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE FOR MARKUS.
BEFORE THE EUROPEAN CUP HAD EVEN BEGUN A SHRINE HAD BEEN ERECTED TO MARCUS IN MANCHESTER WITH THOUSANDS OF NOTES WITH GOOD WISHES ATTACHED TO IT.
WITHIN HOURS OF HIS PENALTY-MISS THE SHRINE WAS DESECRATED WITH RACIST AND HATE-FILLED MESSAGES. A FOOTBALL HERO WAS NOW SEEN BY SOME AS A VILLAIN.
MARCUS’ REACTION TO IT ALL WAS TO SAY “I WILL NEVER APOLOGISE TO ANYONE FOR WHO I AM OR WHERE I COME FROM”.
BY THE WAY, THE RESPONSE OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF MANCHESTER TO THE VITRIOL AGAINST MARKUS RASHFORD WAS TO SMOTHER THE ABUSE WITH EVEN MORE AND MORE MESSAGES OF SUPPORT.
IN TODAY’S GOSPEL WE SEE THAT SOME OF JESUS’ FOLLOWERS CAN BE QUITE FICKLE AS WE SEE THEY ABANDON HIM.
I SUSPECT THAT ANY OF US WHO FOUND OURSELVES IN A SIMILAR SITUATION WOULD PROBABLY WANT TO CALL THEM BACK. BUT JESUS LETS THEM GO. HE GIVES THEM THE FREEDOM TO WALK AWAY FROM HIM.
AFTER ALL THE MIRACLES, THE WONDERS AND SIGNS HE PERFORMED BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES – THEY DESERT JESUS. THEIR MESSIAH IS NO MORE FOR THEM.
AND TO BORROW A PHRASE FROM MARCUS RASHFORD JESUS COULD WELL HAVE SAID TO THEM: “I WILL NOT APOLOGISE FOR WHO I AM”.
PRIOR TO TODAY’S PASSAGE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL – AFTER THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES – THE SITUATION WAS REVERSED BETWEEN JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS: JUST AFTER THAT MIRACLE HIS FOLLOWERS WERE SO ECSTATIC THEY WANTED TO MAKE HIM THEIR KING. JESUS HAD TO GET AWAY FROM THE CROWD BEFORE THEY COULD DO SO.
IN TODAY’S GOSPEL MANY OF THE SAME ADORING CROWD WHO NOT SO LONG AGO WANTED TO CROWN HIM KING – NOW ABANDON HIM.
SOME SPORTS FANS AND INDEED SOME OF JESUS’ FOLLOWERS CAN BE QUITE FICKLE FOR SURE.
SO, FROM THE START OF JESUS’ MINISTRY WE CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE ABANDONED HIM AND INDEED HIS CHURCH.
IN THIS COUNTRY LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE HAVE TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE CHURCH. AND MANY HAVE HAD STRONG REASONS TO DO SO.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE DECIDED TO STAY WITH JESUS AND HIS CHURCH? LIKE PETER WE SAY TO JESUS: “MASTER TO WHOM ELSE SHALL WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.
WE HAVE COME TO BELIEVE AND ARE CONVINCED THAT YOU ARE THE HOLY ONE OF GOD”.
DESPITE SOME OF THE DREADFUL THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PERPETUATED IN JESUS’ NAME THROUGHOUT THE AGES – WE STILL BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS INDEED THE HOLY ONE OF GOD.
WE CAN TAKE OUR LEAD FROM MARKUS RASHFORD WHEN WE SAY:
“WE WILL NOT APOLOGISE FOR WHO WE ARE OR WHERE WE COME FROM”.
ALONG WITH JOSHUA IN TODAY’S FIRST READING FROM DEUTERONOMY WE ALSO SAY:
“AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSEHOLD WE WILL SERVE THE LORD”.
WE HAVE JESUS‘S WORDS OF ASSURANCE WHEN HE SAYS TO US:
“DO NOT BE AFRAID, I AM WITH YOU UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD”.
TO FINISH – NOW WE ALL KNOW THAT GOD HAS NO FAVOURITES WHEN IT COMES TO HURLING ALL-IRELAND FINALS. BUT IF HE DID…….
GOOD LUCK TO BOTH SIDES AND MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN!