At Texas A&M, the phrase “Home of the 12th Man” is emblazoned on the stadium and is a source of pride for Aggies everywhere. Of course, there are 11 players on the field during regular football play, so the 12th Man is the crowd.
It seems sports has been in the news a lot lately. Certainly sports has a lot of positive lessons to teach; team work, commitment, self-discipline, respect, perseverance, mental toughness, resilience, patience, goal setting, hard work, etc. In fact, the scriptures use analogies to sports quite frequently.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” - Hebrews 12:1
In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Athletes have been iconic figures throughout history, even dating back to Greek and Roman times. Great athletes must train, be obedient to the rules, and exercise strict self control with a singular focus to reach the goal. Perhaps that is why we admire them so much. Some even go so far as to “worship” athletes only to be let down by their personal life or actions outside of the game (and sometimes within the game).
God, however, uses the Saints in Heaven and the Church on earth as His crowd to cheer us on to finish this race here on Earth. Indeed, they are the “12th Man.” And I take great comfort in that.
Imagine for a minute that the field is our life and the stadium and those in it - the Saints - are all rooting for us to make it. Perhaps among them are some of your relatives, a great grandparent, mother, friend, or others.
But how does one “win” the ultimate race - life?
Have you ever thought about the purpose of life? I mean, why are we here? Seems like an important questions doesn’t it. C’mon it can’t just be to “eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we die!” That certainly is NOT uplifting. Or perhaps it’s just a game - “the one with the most toys wins!” What a worthless existence. Or maybe you think, there is no purpose - we are just biological beings that are born, live 77 years and then die. Depressing. What a shame.
No, I remember the old Baltimore Catechism of the Catholic Church summed it up quite nicely:
6. Q. Why did God make you?
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in [the next] heaven.
So simple. Yet so profound. Still it has depth, meaning and purpose to it. It perfectly explains the purpose of a human being. You might say it is consistent with our programming, for lack of a different analogy - and that appeals to us. It should, if God made us.
So let me tell you about a great athlete of life - Sir (Saint) Thomas More.
I love St. Thomas More. He is the patron saint of lawyers. But, more than that he was just a total bad ass. Take the quote above, for example, here is a man that was a wicked intellect and yet had a rock solid faith. In the end, he was decapitated because he would not concede that King Henry VIII was the head of the Church. Obedience to his faith. Perseverance until the end. Courage. Commitment. Purpose. Real purpose - not just what the world today views as success. Not self-focused, but outward focus - living for something greater than himself. Many men (or women) would have confessed, backed down or given in to the King to save their skin or their own personal “kingdoms.” In fact, many have already done so and don’t even know it. They are sleeping. Not More. He was Wide Awake. He was playing the long game. Better to obey God than man. And for that, he is revered today and declared by the Church a Saint. He is a hero.
So become a Saint! What else is there?
Isn’t that what we should all strive for? A saint is just another word for a person that has finished the race and resides with God in Heaven, i.e. won the race! How could we desire anything other? Perhaps we don’t understand the concept of Heaven and Hell. Perhaps we don’t believe. That doesn’t make it untrue. Our belief does not establish the truth or reality of a thing. Truth is objective - not subjective. But, as Pontius Pilate famously said to Jesus at his trial, “Quid est Veritas? - What is Truth?” This question has perplexed historians and philosophers for over 2000 years. Knowledge is after all power and, as such, it is a question which must be answered.
Unfortunately for us though, we cannot make or choose our own reality or knowledge based on our personal bias and whims.
And that is why, just as he did 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ asks us the same question today that he posed to his disciples in Caesarea Phillipi as he stood in front of the place where the worship of the pagan god Pan, was conducted at a certain cave:
“But what about you? Who do you say that I am? - Matthew 16:15
Of course, we can choose not to answer, but that in and of itself is an answer.
So may we be supported by the 12th Man - the Saints, the Church and our “cloud of witnesses” as we all strive to finish the Great Race. And may we persevere in obedience and hear those words we all long to here “Well done, my good and faithful Servant!”