Ireland

Ireland

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Once a Saint, Always a Saint

I've been watching a lot of baseball the last couple of days. You see, it's playoff time for Major League Baseball. The games during this time of the season have a bit more importance attached to them, compared to a game that is played in May. I mean really, how can you get worked up about game # 23 in a season that has 160 games or so.

This time of year though, baseball is fun to watch, every pitch counts. One swing of the bat could determine the end of a teams season.
Baseball, like every other big company, is all business during this time of the year. When it is determined that a particular team has made the playoffs, some roster moves are made.

Some players are called up from the triple A league, and some players, even after being a productive player on the team all season, might be sent down to Triple A, unable to play on baseballs big stage, the playoffs. They aren't cut from the team, or fired, they're just nicely told that their seat on the team bus will be occupied from now on, by someone else.

In another league, a big name most of us recognize was demoted from the Big Club.
Saint Christopher, a million time All Star and a current Hall of Fame Saint, was told recently that his seat on the bus will be occupied by a more current, more local Saint.

WHAT?

Christopher is my Confirmation name. The act of choosing a Confirmation name for yourself is like one of the coolest Catholic traditions going.
My mom came to me and said, "Ok, you get to choose a name, any name, for your Confirmation name. The only stipulation is that it has to be the name of a Saint." ( I'm not exactly sure if she said that or not.)
So we go through the list of cool Saint names, and I came up with Christopher. To this day I'm happy with my choice.

So, there is no more room on the bus for one of the most popular Saints ever. Actually, there is no more room on the Catholic calendar of Feast Days, so he was dropped like a worn out shortstop with bad knees. I couldn't believe it. He is the Patron Saint of travel. Saint Christopher is a rock star. Every other car on the road sports a little St Christopher thingy glued to the dashboard. The guy was a money maker.

Fear not, he hasn't been stripped of his ....Saintness? The Church says he is still a Saint, but he's being dropped from the Church Calendar, which is the equivalent of baseballs All Star team. He's still a Saint, they're just not going to bring his name up much anymore.

The reason for this demotion is the fact that after a 1969 review of all the Saints by the Catholic Church, they determined there was not enough historical evidence to prove that Saint Christopher ever lived.
Rules...rules...rules.
I think they're nit-picking.

Major League Baseball has banned Pete Rose from the Hall of Fame because of some off the field shananagans. He was only the best hitter ever.

Saint Christopher is no longer on the Church Calendar.
Calendar or not, he's still the best Saint ever.

3 comments:

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

I always thought Pete Rose got a raw deal.

And can I go off-topic for a minute? What's up with the rope-around-the-neck fad running rampant among baseball players? I hate it! It looks like those macrame bracelets we wore many years ago.. you know, the kind you never took off in the shower? These things just look... WEIRD. I don't get the purpose. Or the look. Just sayin.

Jerral Miles said...

You've convinced me that St. Christopher was moved to a farm team far too soon. I had read some time ago about there being some question about his ever having lived... but we've all got stories about at least minor travel miracles credited to him... and there must be major miracles as well...He hasn't been on my dashboard for years, but he's definitely going back up tomorrow. I feel better already just thinking about it.
Jerral

Sueann said...

Oh no!! Poor St. Christopher!!
I too think Pete Rose should be in the hall of fame.
Yes this time of year is exciting in baseball, esp. if your team is in the playoffs! But mine isn't so...yawn!! Ha!]
Hugs
SueAnn