My new colleague, Bishop James Van Johnston of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese recently wrote a fine column in his diocesan newspaper, The Mirror, about restoring Sunday to its proper place as the Lord’s Day. I think it would be good for us to review his thoughts as families everywhere prepare to gear up for the busy “back to school” time of year.
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By Bishop James V. Johnston
In the mid-1960’s Sandy Koufax was nearing the end of a brilliant career in the Major Leagues as a pitcher. As a child, I was just getting old enough to become interested in baseball, but when I ended up with Koufax’s baseball card, I knew it was one I would not trade. I still have it today, safely crammed in a desk drawer at my parents’ house.
Along with Koufax’s remarkable pitching prowess, he is also remembered for a decision he made in 1965 as the World Series was approaching. As the ace on the staff of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was scheduled to pitch in game one of the Series against the Minnesota Twins. Problem was, Game 1 that year fell on Yom Kippur, a Solemn Jewish Holy Day was to be dedicated to God in prayer. Koufax, a devout Jew, informed the Dodgers management that he would not pitch, and instead, he attended synagogue in Minnesota. In his place, Don Drysdale took the mound for the Dodgers, but he did not last even three innings, giving up seven runs, as the Dodgers lost game one to the Twins, 8-2.
It is said that when he was pulled form the game, Drysdale quipped to the manager Walter Alston, “I bet you wish I was Jewish too.” Koufax went on to pitch in three games in that Series, throwing complete game shutout victories in games five and seven, as the Dodgers went on to win the Series four games to three.
I think of this Sandy Koufax story when witnessing what has been happening to Sunday in America. The primacy of Sunday as the Lord’s Day has been eroding for some time now, even among Christians. There are aspects of this that are often beyond one’s control. The shifting economy sometimes makes work unavoidable for many. Some jobs must be done on Sunday, and in order to fulfill the moral obligation to provide for oneself and one’s family, work must be done. Fortunately, Sunday Mass is offered in many parishes at a variety of times, making it possible for Catholics to fulfill this most important part of the Christian week. Nevertheless, we should not let secular culture dictate that Sundays be filled up with events and activities that diminish our time for worship, being with family, good works, and rest and recreation.
One particular experience a few years ago clarified for me what is at stake. A mother of two came to me upset that her son’s soccer team was scheduled each Sunday to travel to surrounding communities to play in tournaments, which often lasted most of the day. Because the team’s next game was determined by whether they won or lost, it was difficult to plan on when and if they could go to Sunday Mass. Being in another town also made finding a Catholic Church and its Mass schedule a challenge. The mother was most upset however, that many of the other Catholic boys and their parents did not even make an effort to attend Mass on these soccer Sundays. She was upset that she and her husband, and their son were considered “oddballs” for trying so hard to attend Mass. She was angry that the people to whom she most looked to for solidarity in setting a good example for these children, her fellow parents, were a big part of the problem.
After congratulating her for her tenacious faith, I advised her, a la Sandy K, to simply not play soccer on Sunday mornings if that was going to make it difficult or impossible to attend Mass, even if her son was one of the key players. Her first priority as a Catholic parent was to assist her husband and her children to get to heaven, and if children are not taught the serious importance of faithfully attending Sunday Mass, and end up neglecting or even abandoning that later in life, it is very likely that they may lose their salvation. Sacrificing soccer (or anything else for that matter) so that one can attend Sunday Mass, also teaches children that they may have to do things that will be difficult or unpopular to be faithful to Christ and their religion. It teaches them that faith is worth suffering for.
Secondarily, it might reawaken the other parents and children to the fact that our relationship with God and fidelity to His will is primary. Small acts of faith and courage by our families will bring forth many blessings not only for our Church, but also for America. And, it will go a long way toward restoring Sunday.
