Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from Matthew 5:1-12

Proclaimed on November 6, 2005

In 1992 I was surprised by the movie “A League of Their Own.” What I attended, thinking it would merely be another chick flick, turned out to be a powerful story of redemption, reconciliation, and transformation. The year was 1943. Most all of America’s able-bodied men were drafted into the military. As a result, America’s favorite pastime—baseball—was threatened with a temporary extinction. In order to avoid such a calamity women were called upon to form professional baseball teams.

At the beginning of the movie we are taken to a rural baseball lot where a man is scouting out talent for the professionals. He sights one woman named Dottie who is a great batter, a good catcher, and is very good looking, as well. After the game he begins making his recruitment pitch. While she is tempted, she holds for one condition. He must also take her sister. Kit is a short, dumpy girl whose pitching is unimpressive, as is her batting. Realizing he must take the Beast if he wants the Beauty, the talent scout accepts her demands. In these negotiations, however, Kit is very aware that she has been accepted based on the merits of her sister. It is only by grace that she will be allowed to play professional baseball.

The experience of playing professional baseball proves to very difficult. The women are expected to perform every bit as well as the men they have replaced. In so doing, they must play beyond themselves. Dottie soon realizes that baseball is demanding too much of her. At one point she goes to her manager and complains that baseball is simply too hard for her. His response is less than understanding, “Baseball’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great!”

Dottie ended up staying. Her sister Kit, on the other hand, was having a different experience. She fell in love with game and what it demanded of her. In her fear of Dottie leaving, however, she feared that her own career would be brought to an end. This promoted a great deal of tension between them. Eventually this led to Kit being traded to another team. Toward the end of the movie Kit and Dottie’s teams were locked in a battle for the championship. Finally the outcome came to a point where Kit’s team was ahead. There were two outs and Dottie was approaching the batter’s box. Everyone expected that Dottie would hit in the winning run. Surprisingly, the unlikable Kit struck her sister out to win the game.

The movie ended with both sisters being invited to the Women’s Baseball Hall of Fame, which was being dedicated in 1992. Neither sister had seen each since that last game in 1943. When they did confront one another, we find a transformed Kit. The sisters are reconciled, while both of their talents are being recognized and applauded.

This story is especially appropriate for today, which we celebrate as All Saints’ Sunday. All Saints’ Day is a special day for it celebrates all those common everyday saints that did not win a special day on the calendar of their own. It follows All Hallows Eve that was designed as a time of prayer and fasting in preparation for All Saints’ Day. However, though the Church designed this time to replace the pagan day of celebrating witches, ghosts, goblins, and evil spirits, its attempt sorely failed. To this day All Hallows Eve is celebrated as Halloween. It is as though we cannot deny who we really are and what our natural tendencies are. It clearly demonstrates that we, like Kit, are members of the Kingdom of God by shear grace. We are part of the saints not by our merits, but by the merits of another—Jesus Christ. Furthermore, as we read the words of today’s Gospel reading, we find like Dottie discovered about baseball, that Christianity is hard. In the Beatitudes Jesus describes the ideal Christian. He describes a life lived out as he would live it.

In essence, Christianity for us is hard. In it we are called to love without limit, to forgive without condition, to give without counting the cost. As the manager said to Dottie can also be applied to us as we attempt to live a life like Christ’s: “Christianity is supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great!” While we may get in by grace, living it is another matter. As the Apostle Paul notes, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Like Dottie and Kit, however, this work has its rewards. Through it the Spirit transforms us through reconciliation.

In summary, a certain young boy who was attending a worship service with his parents perhaps best describes All Saints’ Day. As he looked around the nave and sanctuary, the stained glass windows keenly impressed him. Nudging his father he asked, “Who are those people in the windows?” Very directly his father answered, “They are saints.” Some time later the little boy was sitting in Sunday School with a number of his peers. The teacher of the class asked the question, “Who are the saints?” Only the little boy raised his hand to answer her question. Noticing his enthusiasm and his waving arm the teacher called upon him. The little boy answered, “The saints are people who let the light shine through.”