The Spiritual Bowl at Humanity Stadium

In a way, our lives are played out like on a football field at the Super Bowl. We are born as the quarterbacks of our own destiny, once baptized and/or inspired within by God. We come to realize that there is a game of big stakes to play, so we hustle out onto the gridiron. We plan and execute our plays, and the game goes back and forth, not always as we hoped, with the unpredictability of life. We gain yards, and we lose them. We make astonishing plays, but we also commit bad sins and errors and fumbles and bumbles. We feel like some Hail Marys need to be tried. The Force against us is relentless. Hope for victory is there, because The Cross, and the knowledge that  Christ is Risen, and that we have accepted Him into our souls, supplies us with all good spiritual gifts from The Lord. We are helped by His Spirit to live in salvation victory. We can reach the goal of the “upward call in Christ Jesus.” That’s the Ultimate “end zone” of champions in His Name. We will make it if we play the Game as Jesus coaches us to play. He equips us with His Life and Spirit to win. We need to trust Him, while the devil desperately seeks to destroy us and have us lose hope in God. Satan tempts us every which way—while stealing and cheating all he can—and he uses much against us. Yet we have the strength to deny him power over us, to live holy lives, because God is with us and for us. So we now have a choice to make. The roster below shows us the Crusaders players to use in our good play under the Cross, and who to be wary of in the forces of the dark and sin that fight us. Game On!

Crusaders Head Coach
Jesus Christ, Head of the Body, Lord

Field Coaches
Pope, Bishops, Clergy, Mary, Saints

Trainers, Coaches
Parents, Friends, Lay leaders, Catechists

Quarterback
You, Chris/Christina (short for Christian)

Main Players
Wisdom: Guard/Tackle, a blocker to show the best path
Courage: Receiver, high flyin’ catcher of straight passes
Temperance: Center to keep team in control
Discipline: MLB to keep team in control, focused, smart
Justice: OLB, defender of truth, social concerns, fair play
Faith/Faithfulness: HB, reliable offense players, consistent
Goodness and Love: RB, go-to players to move forward
Joy: Safety, captain of DF Secondary, inspired playmaker
Humility:  HB, DB Two-way player, should be used often
Generosity/Charity: OF line, helps move the chains(away)
Honesty/Sincerity: DB’s, good vs. long passes, great tacklers
Peace/Understanding: Keeps for great DF vs. violent Force
Eucharist: HB, Tailback, P/Kicker, very crucial player
Confession: Special teams, a Keep-it-Real All-Star
Bible Study and Prayer: Offense moves surely with them
Church Unity: Under-rated MVP of whole team. Needed!

Forces of Darkness Leader
Lucifer

Assistants
Devil’s Wiles, Minions, Mortal Sins

Trainers, coaches
Human Selfishness and Pride

Quarterback
Dirk Deception, Lea Liar

Main Players
Greed: Rusher out to sack you for great losses
Accusation: CB, will intimidate you to drop the ball
Envy: Safety, will decoy you to covet, over-reach
Mortal Sin: Various positions—out to knock you down
Cheating: RB, won’t play any way but crooked
Lust: OLB, blitzing rusher to QB, wild player
Sloth: D-Tackle. Heavy onslaught, wear-you-out force
Entitlement: TE, his selfish attacks are deceiving
Pride: Star Dark Player, hard to stop his intense play
Gluttony: DF line, rusher, looks to exploit weakness
Wrath/Despair: Go-for-broke OF players, wreck crew
Venial/Habitual Sin: OF wide receiver, short pass experts
Anti-prayer and worship: Destructive destractionaire
Fantasy/Illusion: Can fake you out of your gospel shoes
Worldliness: Deceives many to fall away/get hurt
Me-ism: Array of Force players with confusing trickery