Football and Faith

One of the greatest compliments given to a defenseman in football is “he tackles well.” It refers to the defenseman’s consistency which has become a habit. This compliment is about something the defenseman actually has.

Teams can tell when a defenseman tackles well. The offensive players understand that there are some players they can break a tackle against and others that they cannot.

The difference is that one defenseman actually possesses the ability to tackle well and the other does not. All football fans agree that a defenseman who “tackles well” has consistently proven this ability.

The spiritual life is no different when we consider the virtues. Unfortunately, virtue is a word that has been lost but needs to be recovered in our culture. Virtue is a power within the soul that is perfected to choose the good; like a defenseman in football who has a power within that becomes perfected to tackle well.

The same way football fans make a distinction between one who tackles well and one who does not, people also make this distinction concerning the virtues.

A person who has the virtue of patience has consistently shown patience. In differing circumstances the patient person displays patience. A person who is impatient and then all of a sudden shows patience is not a patient person. Virtue demands practice, repetition, and consistency.

Virtue is acquired by repetitive acts like the way a defenseman improves at tackling. The good news is that by practice and repetitive acts of virtue one can acquire the virtues of prudence, justice, courage, and temperance.

Aristotle said “we become builders by building and harpists by playing the harp.” In today’s time, Aristotle would say that a football player becomes a good tackler by tackling just like the virtuous person becomes virtuous by acting virtuously.

Every good defenseman in football asks this question, “where is my weakness that can be strengthened by practice?” In the spiritual life it is very healthy to ask oneself, “what virtues do I need to practice?”

Think about the virtues and practice them for Aristotle said that the happy life is found by “virtuous activity of the soul.”

One of the best ways to practice is by imitation. Young football players watch good football players and imitate their ability to tackle. As Christians we must imitate Jesus in a similar fashion. The great theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas, once said, “The cross exemplifies every virtue.” Go to Jesus, at the foot of the cross, and imitate Him. Reject what Jesus rejected and love what Jesus loved on the cross. Ask Jesus for His grace to help grow in the virtues.

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Luke Daghir is a seminarian for the Diocese of Erie. In his senior year of high school, he was a proud member of the football student section. He participates in fantasy football and his favorite player to watch is Tom Brady.