Article #1 - Fifth Series - June 26th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

[Pompeii]

One Thing, Jesus Christ - Article #1 -  Fifth Series - June 26th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Article:
The Little League Pledge rings in both the ear and heart of any person who has played Little League Baseball. The words can bring back memories of standing on those white, foul lines and looking out at the American flag, eyeing up the opposing team, being filled with butterflies, dreaming of hitting a homerun, spitting sunflower seeds in the dugout, warming up the arm with dad in the backyard, and handing mom one’s dirty socks after the game. The pledge does more than just recalling memories though - it challenges us to step out of ourselves and into reality. 

Recall the words, “I trust in God. I love my country and will respect its laws. I will play fair and strive to win, but win or lose - I will always do my best.” It is interesting to note the order of this pledge: God, country, laws, playing fair, striving to win, and doing one’s best. The self – I will always do my best – comes only at the end. 

The greatest spiritual masters throughout Christian history have all agreed upon this pivotal spiritual truth: your life is not about you. It is the same truth that The Little League Pledge encourages to foster in each ball player. 

St. Thomas Aquinas, the great theologian and philosopher of the 13th century, defined love as willing the good of the other as the other. The heart of the spiritual life is not about you - it is about the other. 

We also read these words in Scripture, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). Remember – love is to will the good of the other, it is not directed toward the self. The Little League Pledge seeks to place the young ball player in right alignment with reality: God is first, not me. Lastly, notice how the game has yet to begin and already baseball is forming the young ball player for life. 
========================

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.