In The Two Popes, Benedict XVI and Francis watch a World Cup soccer match between their home countries, Germany and Argentina.  That is fiction.  In reality, however, Francis was a big fan.  In his homily one World Youth Day he proclaimed, “Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!  He offers us the possibility of a fruitful life, a life of happiness, and a future with Him. But He asks us to pay admission.  Our admission is to ‘get in shape,’ to discipline ourselves as disciples with undaunted faith.” 

As American football winds down to the final four NFL teams vying for the Super Bowl, our nation will prepare to host international football (FIFA soccer) in late spring.  Fortunately, Kansas City has been chosen as one of the host sites.  Though many of us know less about this kind of football than Ted Lasso before going to England—and while Germany and Argentina have won a combined seven World Cups while the U. S. has won none—we, like him, will have fun with it.  We will more likely welcome new opportunities this year if we possess some of Lasso’s personality traits: optimism, empathy, authenticity, positive thinking, nurturing behavior, and undaunted belief.  I think that’s what Pope Francis meant by “getting in shape” or shaping our reality as disciples.

Each January, many of us make resolutions to get in better shape.  And each January, after the Christmas decorations get packed away, the church invites us to get in more sacred shape by putting the Christmas message into practice.  There’s a beautiful prayer that says, “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are all home again, and the shepherds have returned to their flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to feed the hungry, release the suffering, rebuild the nations, bring peace among sisters and brothers, and make music with our hearts.”   When we embrace this, we embrace the life of happiness that the pope claims is greater than the World Cup (or a Super Bowl victory). 

There are numerous ways to get in shape mystically. They begin with simple acts we can build upon. One way is to participate in the annual Super Bowl soup collection, i.e., purchase and bring cans of soup to a parish or nearby food pantry.  Millions of cans will be collected between now and the Super Bowl to stock food suppliers for the year ahead to feed hungry people from coast to coast.  Another way is to keep the dream of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. alive.  Hundreds of people showed up at Little Flower Church on the holiday bearing his name to hear excerpts from his speeches and writings, and sing and pray together, before assembling care packages to distribute throughout the city.  Another way we can get in religious shape is to make a retreat or join a discussion group, bible study, or book club that helps develop our faith life.

Though busy at the FSC (Farnan Spirituality Center) and with activities in the urban parishes, I want to provide opportunities to discuss some spiritual novels (maybe Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory and The End of the Affair), or the works of Irish author, Niall Williams (This is Happiness, Time of the Child), to whom I was recently introduced.  I will also set dates for mini retreats as we move toward Lent, our annual trek from winter into spring, so that we can consider getting in shape spiritually.  If you’re interested in either a mini retreat or book discussion, let me know by email at frdon@stjkc.org and I will assemble a group or groups.  Meanwhile, let’s continue to pray for one another as we greet new ventures in 2026 and develop our faith, even bigger than the World Cup!