31-17.
This last February 7th, the New Orleans
Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts by 14
points to win their first ever Super Bowl.
Prior to this year’s big game, I asked
people I’d run into who they hoped would
win this year. I’d say at least 3
out of every 4 people I asked wanted the
Saints to win, with the reason always being
the same- it would be good for the city of
New Orleans. I’d hear things like
“After the terrible devastation and all
the bad things that happened to the city
with Hurricane Katrina, it would be really
good for the city.” And they were
right.
And
yet, if the Super Bowl victory was indeed
good for the city, how much better is it for
New Orleans that they have had a quarterback
who has not only been an exceptional leader
on the field the last four years, but has
been a leader with the efforts to help with
the damage Katrina caused, as well.
You may or may not know that Drew Brees and
his wife Brittany have established the Brees
Dream Foundation, an endowment established
to assist the international charity
Operation Kids in restoring academic and
athletic facilities, parks and playgrounds,
after-school programs, mentoring programs
for the intellectually disabled,
neighborhood revitalization projects, and
child care facilities in New Orleans, in
addition to several other charities.
Sports Illustrated recently said of Brees,
“He's been the NFL's most prolific
quarterback over the past four years, but to
the city that has adopted him, Drew Brees is
much more—a driving force in the ongoing
effort to rebuild and renew.”
Rebuild
and renew. How appropriate that the
most celebrated athlete in America right now
is someone who stands for renewing. As
Orthodox Christians, we too, have recently
entered a time in the life of our Church
that is about rebuilding and renewing.
That time, of course, is called Great Lent.
I’m sure all of us know about how we do
our best to fast from meat and dairy during
this period, and the season ends with the
Resurrection service of Great and Holy
Pascha, and certainly these things are true.
Every year, however, Lent is also a time
when our Church gives us the opportunity to
pause and reflect. The colors which
decorate our churches become less
pronounced, the hymns become more and more
about how sinful we are, and how we make
mistakes- everything is about acknowledging
that we as people are not where we need to
be.
We’re
all human, and of course no one is perfect,
for “all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Because we
all have a tendency to fall away from the
good that God has in store for us, this sin
can ravage our souls like Hurricane Katrina
ravaged the city of New Orleans. Lent
is our time to stop, turn to God and ask for
forgiveness from Him and from our neighbor.
It is a time to take the opportunity to
fast, which strengthens our soul and gives
us a momentary pause from our massive
American appetites. In other words, by
the time we arrive to Pascha, the Feast of
Feasts, our “relief effort” will have
succeeded as long as we make the effort to
participate in it. This doesn’t mean
all our challenges will go away, but this
does mean that we will be given a tremendous
boost of strength to get through them.
Let us celebrate our season of rebuilding
and renewal that we too, may win that prize
God has in store for us, for all eternity.
