Divine Child pastor Fr. James Bilot speaks with coaches Aug. 2 during the schools’ first-ever all-coaches retreat, which aimed to encourage coaches to put faith before winning with their players.Jesus has already won the victory of our faith and our salvation through His life, death and resurrection.
He mandated a mission to each and every one of us to “proclaim the Gospel to every creature,” a mission fiercely opposed by the “prowling” devil.
Be not afraid, since we know that Jesus has already won the victory. What we need to do is arm ourselves for spiritual combat. The goal is “everything for the glory of God.”
That was the sum and substance of the challenge Fr. James Bilot posed to about 120 coaches of Dearborn Divine Child’s elementary and high school sports teams assembled in a retreat on a recent Wednesday evening.
He took his cue from Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s pastoral letter, “Unleash the Gospel,” charging every aspect of church life in the archdiocese to “engage in a new evangelization — a renewed proclamation of the good news of Christ to the people of our time.”
“Coaches have a particular charisma,” said Fr. Bilot, Divine Child’s pastor. “It’s an overpowering responsibility to assure your athletes that you care about them ... students deal with things that we never thought of. Coaches can help develop a balance in their lives, showing them Christ’s love by loving them.”
A winning-is-everything mentality, overzealously competitive, an unwelcoming hospitality — with these attitudes, “you may win, but you lose,” Fr. Bilot said. “As students mature, they’ll come to realize that, somehow, they lost.”
Fr. Bilot, in his 10th year at Divine Child, related a couple of instances that “were hurtful to me as a pastor.” He asked five students to serve as acolytes at a funeral, and on another occasion, he invited some students to attend a vocations dinner at the seminary. In both cases, the kids refused “because they were afraid to ask the coach” to be excused under threat of being benched.
“We have to step back and ask ourselves what it means to be victorious,” Fr. Bilot said.
Referencing sports terminology, “Our game plan,” Fr. Bilot said, “is to live with joyful confidence in the providence of God, even in difficult and stressful times.”
We are not helpless. Toward that end, Fr. Bilot reviewed several kinds of “equipment” at our disposal: prayer, sacred Scripture, the sacraments — especially Mass and reconciliation — the saints, Christian service, gracious hospitality and sacramentals.
He asked a pair of longtime coaches at Divine Child to offer testimonials.
Mary Laney, high school girls basketball coach (and winner of three state championships), expressed her faith by stressing the Golden Rule in dealing with players, staff, officials and parents.
She shared a note from a parent of an opposing team who complimented the players for their “class and positive attitude” during a ceremony honoring an opposing player.
Another memo came from an opposing coach, whose team arrived late for a game and proceeded to lose by 30 points to the Falcons: “My girls mentioned how they were treated better than anywhere else.”
“These models of Christian love and respect, of a life-based faith are most memorable to me,” Laney said.
Tim Lee recalled the qualities of coaches he played for as a grade school and high school student at Divine Child who influenced him to get involved in coaching seventh- and eighth-grade football for a number of years.
“They shared their passion with us. They cared for us both on and off the field. They taught us to be respectful and to be of service to others. They showed us how to conduct ourselves after a win or a loss.”
Lee concluded: “Coaching is a noble profession. At the end of a game, it only matters who we are.”
Associate pastor Fr. Matt Hood preceded Fr. Bilot’s presentation with a reflection of the time Jesus calmly walked on the Sea of Galilee amidst treacherous waves. He invited Peter to join him, but he was frightened and began to sink. “Lord, save me,” Peter cried out.
Don Horkey“Where are you in your boat with Jesus?” Fr. Hood asked. “Do you have the confidence to cry out to Jesus for help?”
We should, you know. We’re all in the same boat.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
