What Sports Reveal About the Paschal Mystery

Kristina Talbot discusses the lessons elite athletes can teach us as mothers.

The most wonderful time of the year for me is October. It is a sports lover’s ultimate month when all the professional leagues are playing. It’s not just that I enjoy watching professional sports, I love the sights and sounds of local community sporting events as well. From Friday night lights to Saturdays at soccer fields, sports are etched into the fabric of our culture. Stadiums, gyms, and fields are where I often find my fellow moms throughout the week and there is something magical about seeing your 8-year-old play football solo in the front yard saying, “He’s at the 30, 20, 10, 5, TOUCHDOWN!”

Sports have a way of illuminating something within the human spirit that is invigorating and exhilarating. I never tire of seeing the 109-yard surprise ‘kick six’ run back when the Auburn Tigers upset the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2013. The camera visibly shakes as the sound of the crowd swells to an incredible roar and mayhem ensues as the students rush the field. Athletics bring out something truly special in our humanity that is worth celebrating. It’s not the game itself, but rather the players and coaches that have a lot to teach us. From teamwork, to upsets, to injury recovery we can see the unfolding of the Pascal Mystery right before our eyes on any given Sunday or game played out. There is life, suffering and triumph that draws us in to watch a game with expectancy and hope of a victory to come.

Athletes remind us that there is always a chance to win, and that hard work can and does pay off. These fundamental core lessons have inherent value for us as mothers. Success is not easily measured in motherhood and there is no crowd roaring because we managed to get all our kids to their respective practices and feed them dinner. Scripture tells us,

“And your father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matthew 6:4)

As women, we often compare ourselves to those around us, but we are viewing the final product and miss the hidden work behind the results.

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We are shown elite athletes performing at their highest levels on TV. We don’t get the same coverage of the hours upon hours the same athletes put into the weight room or worked on their fundamentals and spent time reviewing film to hone their craft. These hidden efforts are not unlike our work done in secret when we dedicate ourselves to reading to our children, go to the grocery store despite our exhaustion, wake up early to prepare for the day, and do yet another load of laundry because we needed clean towels. All these sacrifices do not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father and while we have no multi-million-dollar contract awaiting us for mastering the perfect folding of a fitted sheet (I’m still working on it), we are assured that we will be repaid.

Repayment can look differently for each of us. Not every Hall of Famer has won a championship and not every incredible mother has children with all As. As mothers, we have our own scorecards, and sometimes we may need to revise the scoring system. As the first wave of report cards come out, not all children hit the honor roll and it can feel defeating when our child is the one seemingly under achieving. Poor grades can be indicative of so many things going on and it can be challenging to help our children learn that their worth is not measured by their academic performance.

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While we have no multi-million-dollar contract awaiting us for mastering the perfect folding of a fitted sheet, we are assured that we will be repaid. #catholicmom

Instead of diminishing ourselves for missing the mark, it is more productive to identify what aspect of the Paschal Mystery am I living in during this season of life. No team stays on top forever, and we don’t typically live in the joy of the Resurrection for decades either. By virtue of our Baptism, we are brought into the life, death and resurrection of Christ. In and through this knowledge, we are given the grace to endure trials and the promises of a faithful God who has conquered sin and death. This Good News is our hope and reminds us that no matter what season we are in, unlike sports, we already know who wins.

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