Every New England sports fan knows that hope springs eternal. This past Sunday the Patriots and the Red Sox showed us that in dramatic fashion.
With only two minutes left in the fourth quarter Tom Brady threw an interception that should have ended the game. Nearly half of Gillette Stadium cleared out by the time the Patriot’s defense stopped the New Orleans Saints’ offense, giving Brady and the Pats one last chance with a little over a minute to play. Four passes later, and with only 10 seconds on the clock, Brady stepped up and completed a remarkable touchdown pass to win the game.
Later that night, the Boston Red Sox found themselves down by four runs when David Ortiz hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to reignite the team and eventually bring them to victory in the bottom of the ninth. Many fans had already left Fenway Park early, and would have to catch the highlights later on TV.
But on Sunday throughout New England and far beyond, another spectacular drama was taking place at altars in Churches everywhere: the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb once slain, who lives now forever (see Revelation 5:6-12). However religiously we follow sports or other pursuits, our Catholic faith reminds us that the real drama and the foundation for all hope lies in God and in Christ alone. That is something to remember the next time we think about leaving Mass early.
