(First Sunday of Advent (B): This homily was given at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I. on December 1, 1996 by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9.)

"Fellowship with Christ."

How do you describe the annual Westerly-Stonington football game?

A classic rivalry? Some might describe it in those terms. The football highlight of the year? That’s another possibility. A great Turkey Day tradition? Some of us might describe it in that way.

But here’s one you’ve probably never heard before--A great evangelization opportunity. The Westerly-Stonington football game is, without a doubt, a great evangelization opportunity. That is to say, it provides a perfect forum for sharing your Catholic Christian faith.

Why is that the case? Well, first of all, you see some people there whom you should see more often, but don’t. In other words, there are "lost sheep" everywhere you look.

Secondly, almost everybody who attends is talkative and outgoing. They’re looking forward to seeing some old familiar faces and renewing some old friendships.

Thirdly, the atmosphere is light, but you can still touch on some serious matters--for example, what to do if your prospective boyfriend is hostile toward your catholic faith; or how to remain strong in your commitment to Christ on a secular college campus; or when confessions are held at St. Pius so that you can unload some heavy guilt. (Those, by the way, were all issues that I discussed with people during the game last Thursday.) And I must say the opportunity to evangelize was especially good this year because the game was so lousy. Actually, I should clarify that--the result was good but the competition was lousy. Consequently, many people were anxious to talk because they were completely bored by the action on the field. To that I say, "Good job Bulldogs!!!"

Now lest you think that I was alone in my gospel spreading efforts, I should explain that I had two young men with me who were intent on doing the very same thing. And they did!

As we were driving away after the game was over one of them said, "Fr. Ray, it really struck me. Some of my old classmates from high school said things like, ‘Yeah, Mike, I’m doing okay spiritually. I still go to church. I still say my prayers every morning--just like I always have.’ But I could tell from the way they were talking--they don’t realize that their relationship with God is something that’s supposed to develop and progressively deepen as time goes on. Spiritually some of my friends are in the very same place they were in high school, and they don’t see anything wrong with that."

That is a very perceptive insight. Spiritual growth, it seems, is not very high on the priority list of many Catholics--young and not so young. Spiritually speaking many men and women are perfectly content with where they’re at. Consequently, they don’t work at the relationship which should be the most important relationship they have--their relationship with God. Of course, a relationship that isn’t worked at, deteriorates and eventually dies. That’s true of our human relationships with one another, and it’s true of our relationship with the Lord. I just spoke with a woman last week--she and her husband were on the verge of a divorce a few short months ago. At the time I suggested that they try a Retrouvaille retreat--which is a weekend workshop for couples whose marriages are on the rocks. Theirs, unfortunately, more than qualified. Well, she came to me last week to say that it’s made an incredible difference! She said, "Fr. Ray, the best part of it is that they give you the tools you need to work at making your marriage better. And that’s precisely what we’re now doing. We weren’t doing it before."

Now if people are willing to put that kind of effort into their marriage (and they should be); if they’re willing to put in that kind of effort into their relationships with their friends; why aren’t they willing to do in when it comes to the most important relationship of all--their relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords? How sad it is when you encounter someone forty or fifty years old who has a relationship with God that’s no better than the relationship they had with the Lord when they were a child. They think the same way about God. They pray the same way that they did as a child. They don’t know Jesus or his truth any more fully at forty or fifty than they did when they were in grammar school. They seldom, if ever, read and meditate on the words of Jesus in Scripture. If it is the most important relationship in their lives, you’d never know it by their behavior.

What does St. Paul tell us today? He tells us, in this text from 1st Corinthians 1 that God has called us to "fellowship" with his Son. Fellowship means an intimate association, not a superficial "Hi, Good-bye" relationship.

And let’s be perfectly clear about it: This is not for God’s benefit. God is no better because we associate with him. He is perfect. This is all for our benefit. To the extent that our relationship with him deepens, we help ourselves. We receive strength and joy and peace.

I was reminded of this the other night as I watched a video about St. Maximillian Kolbe, the Polish priest who offered his life at Auschwitz in exchange for another prisoner.

Most of us know the story: One of the 800 prisoners in Kolbe’s cell block escaped one night in July of 1941. When the Nazis discovered it, they did what they routinely would do in such circumstances: They brought all the prisoners out and chose 10 at random. These men they would starve to death as a punishment for the escape. One of the men chosen was Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with two children. He begged to be spared because of his family. The Nazis, of course, couldn’t have cared less. However, at that point, Kolbe stepped forward and offered to take his place. The Nazis were shocked. They couldn’t believe it.

One of the survivors from Auschwitz, Ted Wojikowski, who was interviewed on the video said this: "There is only one thing I remember [about Fr. Kolbe as he stood there that day]--it was his face. It was so serene, so peaceful. There was no fear. I don’t think that a normal human being could do such a thing. I myself, even if this were my father or my brother--I doubt that I could sacrifice myself for him."

Wojikowski was impressed by Maximillian Kolbe’s incredible inner strength and peace. And he’s right. By the standards of the world, that’s not "normal." As Fr. Ken Roberts would say, "It’s not natural--it’s supernatural."

Fr. Maximillian Kolbe drew his strength from the Lord. A one hour Mass on a weekend and a few prayers at the beginning and end of the day were not enough for him. He worked at his relationship with Christ every day. He believed very strongly in Eucharistic adoration--in spending time meditating on the truths of Scripture in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In other words, he took this call to fellowship with Christ seriously. Very seriously. When he heard this line from 1 Corinthians 1, he took it personally: "God has called you, Maximillian Kolbe, to fellowship with Christ."

May we also take it personally . . . for our own benefit! In that way, we will experience some of the inner strength and peace that Fr. Kolbe experienced--even in the midst of the difficult crosses of our lives.