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| Tim Tebow |
[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Christmas 2011]
Syndicated writer Susan Stamper Brown began a recent column
she wrote with the following words:
Despite the
fact that in America, 60 to 70 percent of people identify themselves as
“Christian” to one degree or another, Christian-bashing seems to be just about
as popular a pastime as watching football these days. And when a national football player commits
the unpardonable sins of being both pro-life and vociferously, pro-Jesus, you
end up with pundits who cast ridiculous judgments from on top of their lofty
thrones, much like the old Muppet Show characters Statler and Waldorf.
The
persecution of Christians has been going on since the days of the Roman Empire;
it continues today in many third world countries, brutally, and here in
America, more subtly. Tolerant of most
other religions, pre-fall Rome viewed Christianity as a fanatical Jewish sect
which was so easy to hate they made a sport of it. Sure, it’s a stretch to make an absolute
correlation between 21st Century America and first Century
Rome. Nonetheless, replace sticks with
diatribes and stones with denigrations for similar results. One kills the body; the other slays the
spirit.
If you’re a football fan who’s
been following the National Football League this year, you can probably
identify, quite easily, the person Susan Stamper Brown is alluding to in these
two paragraphs I just read. It is, of
course, Tim Tebow, the second year quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
Now let me begin by saying that,
as someone who’s been a Green Bay Packer fan for nearly 50 years, I’ve never
had any interest whatoever in promoting the football fortunes of the Denver
Broncos—especially since they beat the Packers back in Super Bowl XXXII!
But I must confess that during
the last couple of months I’ve found myself sitting in front of a television
set several times on Sunday afternoons cheering for Tim Tebow—not so much for
who he is on the football field, but rather for who and what he has been off
the field, in his personal life.
I’m happy to see someone like him
doing so well in his chosen profession (as long as he’s not doing it against
the Green Bay Packers).
For the benefit of those who are
not football fans: Before the Broncos drafted him in 2010, Tim Tebow played for
the University of Florida, where he was part of two national championship
teams. In 2007, he also won the Heisman
Trophy as the nation’s best college football player. But football has never been the most important
reality in his life—as he would be more than happy to tell you. In fact, he’s often said that football is
just a game and that God really doesn’t care who wins and loses. For Tebow, the person who’s number 1—the
person who gives meaning and purpose and direction to his earthly existence—is
the person (the divine person) whose
birth we’re celebrating today, Jesus Christ.
And it seems that he’s one of the few people in public life these days
who does more than talk the talk when it comes to his personal beliefs. From all external indications, at least, Tim
Tebow also makes the effort to “walk the walk”—i.e., the walk of a Christian disciple. When he was a student at the University of
Florida, for example, he used to spend his summers helping the poor and needy
in the Philippines, primarily at an orphanage run by members of his family. He spoke in prisons, led an on campus Bible
study, and used his fame to help a number of good, charitable causes. This line from his family’s web page says it
well: “Tim’s faith is the driving force in his life, and he is acutely aware
that ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’ He keeps a poem in his room
that reminds him of an athlete’s accountability to be a role model for the
little boys who want to be just like him.”
Oh, and did I mention that he’s
also “saving himself” for marriage? By
his own personal example, Tim Tebow is teaching the youth of America that
“virgin” is not a dirty word!
What a great public service!
But, as Susan Stamper Brown
points out in her little article, all these virtues—because they’re rooted in
his Christianity—have brought the man more criticism than acclaim—at least in
some segments of our society. She
writes, “Under normal circumstances,
Tebow would be praised for his accomplishments, talent and leadership from
around the Monday morning water cooler, but in these days of pseudo political
correctness (PC), the words ‘normal’ and ‘Christian’ cannot run together in the
same sentence. Those who praise their
maker for their talent are not considered talented; they are just creepy.”
She then gives some examples of
comments she’s heard: “Maybe he can cure
leprosy.” “He’d be a better passer if he’d give in and sleep around town.” “I
don’t want to hear about his faith every other sentence.” “Even Jesus is
telling Tim he has had enough.”
She ends her piece with the
following thought-provoking questions and comment: “What is it about Tebow that brings out such nastiness in so many of
us? Why does the Jesus in Tebow bring
out the devil in us? Why is Tebow such a
lightning rod to those who haven’t seen the same light? Might it be that we can’t sit back to enjoy
the game and appreciate Tebow’s talent because Tebow’s goodness makes us
uncomfortable with our own not-sogoodness?
If that’s the case, heaven help us.”
I think Susan Stamper Brown has a
valid insight there, but I also think it goes a little deeper than that (and
here’s where the connection with Christmas comes into the picture). You see, Tim Tebow and others like him remind
us of a central fact of Christianity (a fact that some people would like to
ignore or forget): they remind us that Jesus Christ is alive! He’s not just a figure of past history, who
was born on Christmas Day and died 33 years later. He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who demands our obedience; he’s the way, the truth and the life; he’s the only
way to the Father; he’s the risen Savior who wants to save us from our sins AND
WHO WILL SAVE US FROM OUR SINS, if we let him!
Tim Tebow and others like him
remind us at Christmas that we must never, ever treat Jesus Christ like a
lifeless figure in a lifeless crèche! We
must relate to him as a Person—a living Person—a living divine Person—who created us out of love, who came to this
earth 2,000 years ago out of that same love, and who invites us to live in a
loving relationship with him here on earth, so that we will someday live
forever with him in his glorious and eternal kingdom of heaven.
It’s a simple message, isn’t it? But it’s a message that can qualitatively
change our lives for the better—if we believe it and then act upon it.
Have you ever wondered why Tim
Tebow is almost always smiling—even when he loses (which is not too often these
days)?
It’s because he understands this
message better than most people do. And it’s because he’s ACTED ON IT!
But Fr. Ray, what if he
falls? What if we find out on some dark
day in the future that Tim Tebow has committed a terrible, horrific sin?
Well, then he’ll have the
opportunity to remind us, by his
repentance, that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die on that cross specifically
for the forgiveness of our sins, and that there’s more joy in heaven over one
repentant sinner than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance.
Please hear that if you’re
someone who’s been away from Mass and Confession for a long time. The Lord is calling you home this Christmas.
But until that dark day comes for
Tim Tebow (and I hope it never will), I will pray very hard for him. I will pray for him to keep on being a good,
faithful witness to Jesus Christ and his Christian faith.
And I’ll even root for him on the
football field, as long as the team he’s playing is not from Green Bay,
Wisconsin!
