Philip Rivers, quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, always makes time for Mass even while on the road. In an interview with “Lifeteen,” a Catholic website that offers resources for Catholic Youth programs, Rivers discusses his Catholic faith and how it is a part of his life and pro-football career. As we prepare for our annual “Montapo” retreat, the talk of our Montclair-Ramapo football rivalry is in the air (Ramapo is looking for their first win this year). As our loving trash-talk between campuses is in full swing, we know that come game time our faith puts both schools on the same team. Below are some of the interview questions with Rivers. For the full interview, go to lifeteen.com.
Question: So you grew up in a Catholic home, and you took that into your adulthood as a football player. That’s pretty rare for professional athletes, how did you do that?
Answer: I was fortunate to grow up in the faith; my mom taught me the faith. In North Alabama there were only like 15 of us in my county in my confirmation class. We were quite the minority in Alabama. But one thing I remember is when I went to college at North Carolina State, the biggest thing that stuck in my head from my mom was never miss Mass. That was the thing that she definitely got across. When you go to college that’s when the faith becomes your own. Your mom and dad aren’t waking you up and reminding you “Hey this is a good day to go to confession.” It’s up to you.
So that really stayed with me and I made sure I never missed Mass and continued to grow in the faith. My wife had a lot to do with it, she’s a convert and she actually became Catholic the day before we got married. There’s so many gifts from the faith to appreciate and it strikes people differently, but the one-ness of the church wherever you are, Raleigh, San Diego, Alabama. Every place we were was home because the Catholic Church is the same everywhere. When we went to Mass that first Sunday after moving to a new place, that was where we felt at home and were able to say “well, home is anywhere, it doesn’t matter where we live because we have the faith.”
Question: How are you able to make the sacraments a priority in the midst of your football schedule, especially on Sundays?
Answer: They have Mass available for us; there’s a team priest who travels with us. Obviously at home I have the opportunity to go at our parish, either earlier Sunday morning or Saturday mass. But I’ve recently starting visiting the churches in the cities we go to, and it’s that same thing – you feel at home. You’re in the opposing teams city and yet you found Mass there. That’s really special playing on Sunday and being able to go to Mass the day of the game – to play and do something you’re passionate about…
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Why Stay in the Boat When You Can Walk on Water?
Bulletin Article 8/7
Last week I wrote about trust. Trust can be rewarding, but it almost always comes with a challenge. The Lord constantly calls us outside of ourselves. He calls us to do more today than we did yesterday. The Lord knows what we are capable of and calls us to see it for ourselves. Peter learns this first hand in this week’s Gospel.
Immediately after the miracle of Jesus multiplying the bread and fish, He tests the Disciples’ trust. In the midst of a storm, He walks toward the boar on the water. They have seen Jesus cure the sick, cast out demons, multiply loaves, and calm a storm, yet they still are afraid and lack trust. Peter, being the leader of the 12, calls out to Jesus and tests Him. Could you imagine testing the Lord? It shouldn’t be too hard considering how often we do it on a daily basis! Just like Peter and the Disciples, we are quick to test the Lord and doubt Him even though he has already proven Himself as our Lord.
Peter steps out of the boat and walks on water. I often tell this story about Peter when I give talks or teach lessons on Christianity. Peter, our first Pope, was one of the biggest screw ups of all time. There are many times where Peter failed—just open the New Testament and you will find examples. However his failures show that he TRIED. He took leaps of faith and stepped out of the boat literally and metaphorically. Can you imagine standing at the edge of the boat? Peter was a fisherman by trade, so he grew up in boats. He was comfortable in them and knew how to deal with everything the water threw at him. Yet Jesus called Him to more. Imagine standing on the edge of the boat watching the waves crash around you. Holding on for dear life, you take one foot and put it over the edge but quickly pull it back in. You put your foot back over and then you follow with the other one. You are now sitting on the edge of the boat with your feet on the surface of the water. You stand up and let go of the side of the boat and you take your first step toward Jesus. That is trust defined.
Last week I wrote that Trust is hard to define but easy to understand. That moment where we let go of what we are comfortable and take a step into the unthinkable or the uncertain—that moment is complete and utter trust. What boats are you in in your life? Have we grown too comfortable in our jobs, our commitments, or our lives? Is Jesus calling us to step out of that which is comfortable into a world where He will make us do the unthinkable? What are you waiting for? Jesus already has proven Himself as our Lord. He conquered death and holds us in the palm of His hand. What are you doing in the boat? I think it’s time you and I walked on water. We can do it—one trusting step at a time.
Last week I wrote about trust. Trust can be rewarding, but it almost always comes with a challenge. The Lord constantly calls us outside of ourselves. He calls us to do more today than we did yesterday. The Lord knows what we are capable of and calls us to see it for ourselves. Peter learns this first hand in this week’s Gospel.
Immediately after the miracle of Jesus multiplying the bread and fish, He tests the Disciples’ trust. In the midst of a storm, He walks toward the boar on the water. They have seen Jesus cure the sick, cast out demons, multiply loaves, and calm a storm, yet they still are afraid and lack trust. Peter, being the leader of the 12, calls out to Jesus and tests Him. Could you imagine testing the Lord? It shouldn’t be too hard considering how often we do it on a daily basis! Just like Peter and the Disciples, we are quick to test the Lord and doubt Him even though he has already proven Himself as our Lord.
Peter steps out of the boat and walks on water. I often tell this story about Peter when I give talks or teach lessons on Christianity. Peter, our first Pope, was one of the biggest screw ups of all time. There are many times where Peter failed—just open the New Testament and you will find examples. However his failures show that he TRIED. He took leaps of faith and stepped out of the boat literally and metaphorically. Can you imagine standing at the edge of the boat? Peter was a fisherman by trade, so he grew up in boats. He was comfortable in them and knew how to deal with everything the water threw at him. Yet Jesus called Him to more. Imagine standing on the edge of the boat watching the waves crash around you. Holding on for dear life, you take one foot and put it over the edge but quickly pull it back in. You put your foot back over and then you follow with the other one. You are now sitting on the edge of the boat with your feet on the surface of the water. You stand up and let go of the side of the boat and you take your first step toward Jesus. That is trust defined.
Last week I wrote that Trust is hard to define but easy to understand. That moment where we let go of what we are comfortable and take a step into the unthinkable or the uncertain—that moment is complete and utter trust. What boats are you in in your life? Have we grown too comfortable in our jobs, our commitments, or our lives? Is Jesus calling us to step out of that which is comfortable into a world where He will make us do the unthinkable? What are you waiting for? Jesus already has proven Himself as our Lord. He conquered death and holds us in the palm of His hand. What are you doing in the boat? I think it’s time you and I walked on water. We can do it—one trusting step at a time.
Prayer
The second reading this week is rather short, but extremely profound. Something I have noticed going through the different stages in my life is that prayer changes with you as you mature. Prayer is not something that is done “right” or “wrong” per se. In fact, there are many different forms of prayer that fit a range of lifestyles. As a young adult in your 20s or 30s, you are probably busy. As a young adult we have a lot going on: weddings, careers, schooling, children, volunteering, etc. The best thing about our Lord is that he is available 24-7.
Prayer is a relationship. It isn’t simply stating our needs before God like a shopping list. In any relationship, communication is one of the most important factors. For example, if I am with a friend and all I am doing is talking about my wants and needs, I do not give my friend any time to respond or tell me about his wants or needs. I am being pretty selfish in the conversation and even worse, I am being a bad friend. Obviously it feels a lot different when we sit down to pray because we can’t always hear God or we feel like He isn’t listening. Nevertheless, God is always available and always willing to sit and listen to us.
Prayer can be compared to a cell phone service. The major difference is that we have the best network you could possibly imagine. We have the ultimate 3G (3 persons, 1 God) – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are no limits on messaging, minutes, or long distance. God is always available. He has us penciled in; it is up to us to keep the appointments.
You may be thinking that there is way too much going on for me to sit down and pray. Well not everyone needs to take hours out of their day to pray in solitude. However, you and I can pray throughout the day. We can say a rosary on the way to or from work. We can do daily readings of Scripture when we wake up and think about them throughout our work day. We can offer hours of work or school up for someone who needs it. Before we go to bed, we can recount our actions during the day—recognizing the times we failed and ask for the grace and strength we need to get through tomorrow. There are multiple forms of prayer that we can do at different times in the day.
So as the 2nd reading states, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” Let the Spirit help you pray. Allow Him to guide you into making your day prayerful. Let Him guide your conversations, your thoughts and your actions.
Saints for Young Adults
Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He enjoyed the outdoors and constantly would climb mountains with friends. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, Catholic Action, and was a third order Dominican. He would often say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform." He helped establish a newspaper entitled Momento, whose principles were based on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical: Rerum Novarum. (source: Catholic Online) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frasatti was a young “normal” guy who dedicated his life in service of others. He loved to care for the poor and those less fortunate.
Prayer is a relationship. It isn’t simply stating our needs before God like a shopping list. In any relationship, communication is one of the most important factors. For example, if I am with a friend and all I am doing is talking about my wants and needs, I do not give my friend any time to respond or tell me about his wants or needs. I am being pretty selfish in the conversation and even worse, I am being a bad friend. Obviously it feels a lot different when we sit down to pray because we can’t always hear God or we feel like He isn’t listening. Nevertheless, God is always available and always willing to sit and listen to us.
Prayer can be compared to a cell phone service. The major difference is that we have the best network you could possibly imagine. We have the ultimate 3G (3 persons, 1 God) – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are no limits on messaging, minutes, or long distance. God is always available. He has us penciled in; it is up to us to keep the appointments.
You may be thinking that there is way too much going on for me to sit down and pray. Well not everyone needs to take hours out of their day to pray in solitude. However, you and I can pray throughout the day. We can say a rosary on the way to or from work. We can do daily readings of Scripture when we wake up and think about them throughout our work day. We can offer hours of work or school up for someone who needs it. Before we go to bed, we can recount our actions during the day—recognizing the times we failed and ask for the grace and strength we need to get through tomorrow. There are multiple forms of prayer that we can do at different times in the day.
So as the 2nd reading states, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” Let the Spirit help you pray. Allow Him to guide you into making your day prayerful. Let Him guide your conversations, your thoughts and your actions.
Saints for Young Adults
Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He enjoyed the outdoors and constantly would climb mountains with friends. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, Catholic Action, and was a third order Dominican. He would often say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform." He helped establish a newspaper entitled Momento, whose principles were based on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical: Rerum Novarum. (source: Catholic Online) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frasatti was a young “normal” guy who dedicated his life in service of others. He loved to care for the poor and those less fortunate.
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