When to give thanks

We should all thank God more often and after every occasion.

IMAM MOUSTAFA AL-QAZWINI

Islamic

Educational

Center of

Orange County

Costa Mesa

There is a lot of holiness in huddles these days and football

players and other athletes are giving thanks to God more and more

publicly. However, “‘Muscular Christianity’ has been around since

baseball-player-turned-evangelist Billy Sunday ‘loudly refuted the

idea that Jesus was a weakling, a man of sorrows, a loser’ ... since

the football stadium at Notre Dame was situated next to a huge

library mural known as ‘Touchdown Jesus’ ... since the Episcopal

Cathedral of St. John the Divine built ‘a sports bay, dedicated in

1928 to such worldly athletes as Hobey Baker, Walter Camp and Christy

Mathewson, which mingles these football and baseball heroes with

biblical scenes like Jacob wrestling with the angel.’”

-- MARGE GARBER,

“TWO-POINT CONVERSION”

ON SYMPTOMS OF CULTURE

Giving thanks to God is essential. The great Christian mystic

Meister Eckhart maintained that “if the only prayer you say in your

whole life is ‘Thank you!’ that would suffice.” This is right, not

only because gratitude must be pleasing to God, but because such

appreciation makes us thankful persons.

It is good to be thankful for health, success and prosperity, for

all are gifts from God. It is not right to rejoice at another’s

misfortune, injury or loss. It is more important to thank God for

blessings received than to pray for them beforehand, in part because

“Thanks” is a less self-centered prayer than “Please.” Selfless

thanks to God, even in the context of a football game, is

appropriate.

Some wonder whether such prayer influences God taking sides in

games. I appreciate coach Bill Parcells’ response when asked whether

God would favor one team or the other in a matchup of passionately

religious players; he replied judiciously, “No disrespect to anyone,

but it usually works better when the players are good and fast.” Now

that makes sense, thanks be to God!

THE VERY REV. CANON

PETER D. HAYNES

St. Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

Religion in America is very public. We acknowledge God’s presence

and influence in virtually every venue.

As a baseball fan, I notice an increase in batters crossing

themselves before stepping in and raising their eyes heavenward upon

crossing the plate. Football players demonstrate their thanks to God

with flair and accompanying choreography. Boxers often pray in their

corners before the bell, each beseeching God to help him knock his

opponent senseless.

Is God a sports fan? If so, why does he remain deaf to the pleas

of this Cub fan? Does he intervene in competitions, lifting one team

or player to victory? Isn’t there, rather, greater truth to be found

in Knute Rockne’s observation: “I’ve found prayers work best when you

have big players.”

Should players only acknowledge God when they score a run, a

point, a TKO? Should God be praised only in the end zone? Do athletes

who don’t pray have a prayer of winning? Is pray and play the

American way? Is God in the stands, on the sidelines, at ringside?

There is often something theatrical, over the top, in this

celestial communication on the field. But a larger point should be

made: I would be more impressed if a batter praised God after a

bases-loaded, ninth-inning strikeout, or if a runner thanked God

after fumbling on the two-yard line as the clock runs out, or if a

fighter offered his gratitude to God while being lifted from the

canvas two minutes into the first round.

All in all, though, there is an even more substantial issue than

athletes expressing their faith during competition: our society

worships and idolizes athletes as heroes and demigods. That is the

most misplaced faith of all.

RABBI MARK MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach