The Chicago Cubs are in the World Series. If you’re a baseball fan, you know what a big deal this is. The Cubs have long been the lovable losers of baseball; some believe that a curse placed upon the team in 1945 has kept them from victory. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908. When the Cubs clinched the pennant before heading to the 2016 World Series, actor Bill Murray (a longtime Cubs fan) actually wept. That’s a true fan: someone who identifies so deeply with the team that the team’s victories and losses become one’s own. Murray isn’t just watching a game; he identifies with the team. He is a Chicago Cub.
As Catholics, are we “fans” of our faith? Do we identify so deeply with Christ, our Rock and our Salvation, that people see Him in us? Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, in her book Franciscan Prayer, discusses how Saint Clare of Assisi deepened her spiritual life with this vision of spirituality. Saint Clare described Christ as a mirror, by which we see a reflection of who we are in Christ.
The mirror of the Crucified tells us how we are most like God in this world through suffering, poverty and humility, and what we do to God in this world – crucify him. In this mirror, therefore, we see the greatness of the human capacity to love and the sorrow of human sinfulness.
In a way (remember: this is a metaphor!), we become a rabid fan: the ups and downs of “our team” get played out in our lives. But the love of Christ goes deeper than any relationship we have with a sport or a hobby. The more we “reflect” Christ, the more we become like Him. Our life becomes less and less a mere imitation of Christ, and more and more Christ-like. Delio:
We become what we love and who we loves shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ; rather, it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation.
Saint Clare advised a young woman to gaze upon Christ, consider Him, contemplate Him. The more time we spend with Christ in prayer and contemplation, the more we become like Christ. Saint Paul states this boldly: I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ in me… (Gal. 2:19-20)
Many of us – like a Cubs fan – are willing to invest time and money in our pastimes and hobbies. As Catholics, we know that our faith is not a mere hobby; it is the means of our salvation. It is the person of Christ Himself. If we become what we love, we need to ask ourselves, “Do I truly love Christ? Am I invested in my relationship with Him? Do I desire to become more and more like Him? Who do I see when I gaze in the mirror that is Christ?”
Transforming ourselves to reflect Christ to the world is so much more than a World Series victory. It is the triumph of sin over death; it is the victory that conquers the world.
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