To the Band of Brothers: August 26, 2024

I am sure this summer was a time most of you spent enjoying doing so many of the things you simply can’t do during the academic year. Many of you traveled, slept in, laid on the beach, played golf, some may have gotten a job or interned with an alumnus somewhere. Either way, you kept busy while also finding a way to relax in order to recharge your batteries for this new school year.

 

Did you see the Olympics? I confess, I don’t usually see too much of them because there is so much of it, but the enthusiasm of worldwide sportsmanship was palpable and the globe stood at attention for it. There are some things I don’t get about the Olympics. For example, there are some sports I don’t know how they made their way into the limelight.

 

Breakdancing? I remember as a kid in the 70s and 80s when breakdancing became a thing. You would go to a party on someone's screened-in porch. The dance floor was the pool deck where you desperately tried not to fall into the water. Then, the DJ would play an upbeat song, the crowd would form a circle, and one of your classmates would start circling, looking for a place he could swing his legs and spin on his head without breaking his neck. This last move is the reason I was convinced it was called “break” dancing.

 

Here's another thing. I know several people who moved mountains to obtain dual citizenship so they could compete in the Olympics. Since track and field, swimming, and other sports are so competitive in the United States, they climb high up their family trees and find out their great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a caveman in the Basque region of Spain. So, they apply for dual citizenship and try to make the Spanish breakdancing team (I heard the Spanish are not known for their breakdancing skills).

 

I wonder if that is in the true spirit of the Olympics. The purpose of these games is to engage the world in admiration for the ability of all countries to produce athletes who compete and perform at such a high level. These athletes train vigorously for years, inspired by the opportunity to represent their country. I admit that no matter what the sport is, whether I like it or not, I get a chill when they raise the red, white, and blue on the main mast and you hear the Star-Spangled Banner.

 

This year’s Olympics, however, began under a dark cloud. I confess the opening ceremonies in Paris dampened my enthusiasm for such a solemn tradition. The irreverent and insulting depiction of the Last Supper was not only done in bad taste, but it was downright sinful and blasphemous. The organizers of the Olympic games in Paris made a mockery of an image that depicts one of the most sacred events in our Christian tradition. That last supper in Jerusalem is where Jesus, right before his passion and death, gave us the holy Eucharist, his body and blood. It is at the very center of our Catholic faith. The Eucharist is the one thing that has defined us for over 2,000 years.

 

I want to be sure you all understand something, this was no mistake. This was not a lapse in judgement or a “bad call” on the part of some artistic director who never intended to offend Christians. This was simply a direct attack on Christianity. You may think I’m overreacting, but I’m not. I’m simply tired of being insulted and disrespected because of my faith in Jesus Christ and being told that raising my voice about it is unwarranted or exaggerated. The greatest advantage the devil has in the world is to make the world think he does not exist. Well, it is time to call a spade a spade. It is time to pull aside the curtain and reveal who hides behind it, to boldly point our finger at the devil and let him know we see him.

 

This, my brothers, takes courage. It takes bold men to stand up for what is right and defend what the world so many times seems to think is unimportant. It takes boldness to stand your ground in the face of mockery and adversity. Our faith is sacred and it means something powerful. The devil knows that better than most and that is why he is always finding ways to attack it, to attack us. We know our convictions as disciples of Jesus Christ means we have a target on our backs. We pose a serious threat to people who prefer to live with no moral codes or obligations, who prefer to silence those who defend the sanctity of life and marriage, who denounce the abuse and injustices of society, and who serve the poor and marginalized.

 

This is not news to us. There is a wise saying in Spanish my grandfather taught me, “Guerra anunciada no mata soldados,” which basically means you have less casualties when you know the enemy is coming. We have been warned. Jesus told us when he said, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me… Thus, they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11, 12b). Fine… we accept the challenge. Let the games begin!