SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #7 - February 24th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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One Thing, Jesus Christ.
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SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #7 - February 24th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Editor’s Note: This article is a summary of an Ash Wednesday homily from Fr. Ben Daghir on February 22, 2023. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent.

Article: 
I promise that you will not forget this analogy concerning Lent and Easter. 

Think about the greatest sports movies of all time: Rocky or Remember the Titans or Rudy or Hoosiers or Miracle or Moneyball or The Blind Side or Glory Road.

The first half of these movies depict problems, adversity, sweat and tears, practice, discipline, and overcoming the odds. The second half of these movies depicts victory.

Lent is the first half of these movies. Easter is the second half. 

As you know, our culture wants a Christianity that is only the movie's second half. This means a Christianity that is victorious without suffering, peaceful without pain, eternal without death, comfortable without the cross, and a Resurrection without a crucifixion.  

Does one really think that the second half of the movie Rudy would make sense without the first half? Would Rudy touch our hearts if we didn’t know about the odds he had to overcome in the first half of the movie? It’s the first half of the movie which helps to make sense of the second half. Victory comes through suffering, peace through pain and a trophy through trial.

Christianity is quite similar to these great sports movies. Jesus entered into Lent, 40 days in the desert. He knows what it is like to overcome adversity, to suffer, to pour out His blood, to resist temptation, to hunger, to fight, to persevere, and to be tested. In other words, He knows the first half of our favorite sports movies quite well.

Lent demands us to take a closer look at the first half of the movie. We must step up our game. We must become more disciplined. We must face the tests. We must accept the challenge. We must come to know Christianity through blood, sweat, and tears. We must roll up our sleeves.

My recommendation for this Lenten season: focus on the first half of the great sports movies. 

Consider Coach Boone’s words in Remember the Titans when he says, “If you survive camp, you’ll be on the team…if you survive.” That’s Lent, my friends. 

Listen to Rocky Balboa’s advice, “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” That’s Lent, my friends. 

Hear Rudy’s words while he is standing on the stool in the locker room, “We’re gonna go inside, we're gonna go outside, inside and outside. We're gonna get 'em on the run boys and once we get 'em on the run we're gonna keep 'em on the run. And then we're gonna go go go go go go and we're not gonna stop til we get across that goal line.” That’s Lent, my friends. 

Take another look at the Crucifix. The Catholic Church always shows the first half of the sports movie. While on this side of the Kingdom, we are in the first half of the movie. 

May we fight well. May we run so as to win the race. May we pass through these trials like that of Christ. 

Easter is on the horizon, but we must persevere, endure, and fight. 

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.