Growing up, autumn Sunday afternoons, as well as Thanksgiving Day, were days of faith, food and football. After Mass, we would gather for a mid-day dinner and watch Washington’s games. It was a wonderful way to spend the day, as I had several brothers along with myself who, like my dad, played football in high school.
Like attending Mass and sharing a meal, there is a communal aspect to watching the games. Being faithful fans, we shared the excitement of the team making its first Super Bowl appearance in 1973, only to watch them lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Ten years later, we celebrated the team’s first Super Bowl victory against the same team. Season after season, in victories and defeats, we fans were in it together.
Over the last 35 years, my Sundays have gotten busier because of my commitments as a priest and then a bishop, so I rarely watch a game when it’s televised. I would record games, but I seldom spent time watching them as it was not as enjoyable as watching them live with others. Instead, it felt more like work, like another thing to do.
However, thanks to technology and YouTube’s livestream service, I can watch the key plays of a three-hour game in 15 minutes. They remove the commercials, timeouts, halftime shows and other things that make for lengthy viewing. It has recaptured my interest in the games as I know exactly what happened. Then, whether at the office or when I catch up with family on the phone, I can comment about the game and share the experience with others.
Our lives and circumstances change a lot over time, and they don’t always allow us the opportunity for social interaction that we might have experienced during another time in our lives. My priority is to carry out the ministry with which I’ve been entrusted as a bishop. However, now I can enjoy the game experience, albeit abbreviated, and still have time to do other things. I have renewed my place in our family fandom.
While the communal aspect of watching your favorite team is important, even more important is community engagement in our prayer and faith experience. We saw how lacking that connection was during COVID when we were limited to online attendance at Mass. We were distant spectators rather than immersed participants. This made participation in Mass seem more like work rather than the enjoyable communal encounter it should be.
I am grateful for the parishes who continue to livestream Masses. I know that this outreach provides people with health concerns who cannot be in the congregation an opportunity to participate in Mass.
While food and football are the focus of Thanksgiving Day in many households, I am edified by the number of people who attend Mass on that day. They do this not out of obligation, but because they instinctively associate the Thanksgiving meal with our thanksgiving to God in the Eucharist. They have a desire to draw closer to our Lord just as much as they have a longing to grow closer to each other on this holiday.
For fans, I hope you get your fill of football on Thanksgiving. For everyone, I pray that this is a day for being with community around the church altar and the dinner table, and that you experience the love of God and each other in both settings.
Happy Thanksgiving!