Pope Benedict comments on airports and soccer

We are called to live out our Christian faith in every aspect of our lives—no matter where we are or what we’re doing. Pope Benedict XVI solidified this point last week, as he commented on two unique topics.

In his message for the opening of the European Football Championship, Pope Benedict said:

…team sport, such as football, is an important school for teaching a sense of respect for others including opponents, the spirit of personal sacrifice with a view to the good of the whole group, the enhancement of gifts of each person, who is a member of the team; in a word, how to overcome the logic of individualism and selfishness which often characterizes human relationships, in order to make room for the logic of brotherhood and love, which alone can enable the promotion — at all levels — of the true common good.

And in his address to civil aviation chaplains and chaplaincy, the Pope said:

Dear friends, always be conscious that you are called to embody in the world’s airports the Church’s mission of bringing God to man and leading man to the encounter with God…Be assured that even in chance encounters, people are able to recognize a man of God, and that often a small seed falling on good soil can bring forth abundant fruit.

All that we do with our time, even in sport, has the power to sanctify us. Pope Benedict beautifully makes this point, reminding us to live out Christ’s witness, recognizing man’s dignity in every encounter that we have.

There's no formula for the New Evangelization

Last Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to be steadfast in their faith and to actively participate in the New Evangelization. During morning Mass in Tuscany, he said:

Be ferment in society, be present as Christians, be active and coherent…The whole Church is sent out into the world to preach the Gospel and salvation.

Preaching the Gospel is our responsibility. The New Evangelization calls upon the whole Church to bring Christ to the world. It is a re-evangelization of sorts, in which Christians are first invited to re-discover their identity in Christ and then share this unique experience with the people around them. This is described in the lineamenta prepared for the October Synod for the New Evangelization:

…the Christian must never forego a sense of boldness in proclaiming the Gospel and seeking every positive way to provide avenues for dialogue, where people's deepest expectations and their thirst for God can be discussed.

This is a serious calling, and it can be intimidating. Thoughts of inadequacy creep into many hearts as people wonder who it is they can reach out to and how effective they can be with little knowledge of the faith.