Jesus Christ And The Detroit Tigers
In a move of defiance not seen since the Protestant Reformation, the Detroit Tigers have scheduled a baseball game during “holy hours” on Good Friday.
And not surprisingly, a bunch of Catholics are royally pissed off about it.
From the AP:
Traditional Christian belief says Jesus hung on the cross from noon to 3 p.m. on Good Friday.
All 30 American and National League teams play April 10, but the Tigers’ 1:05 p.m. game against the Texas Rangers is the only one during holy hours.
“It’s sort of an insult for Catholics,” said Michael Ochab, a 47-year-old Tigers fan. He said he’ll miss his first opener in 20 years this year to attend services at St. Florian Catholic Church in Hamtramck. “I’m still hoping the Tigers will change the time.”
Jesus Christ.
No really, Jesus Christ … what’s the deal here?
Since everybody knows Jesus is a Tiger Fan, our guess is that he’s not too offended by all of this. In fact, our bet is if you asked Jesus to choose between the liturgical calendar and the MLB season opener, he’d yell “play ball!” and crack open a cold one.
Oh, and shoudn’t “traditional Christians” mark their Good Friday observances based on when it’s noon to 3 p.m. in Jerusalem? Unless of course you’re going to tell us Jesus was crucified in Detroit, which we’re pretty sure isn’t accurate.
Bottom line? Catholics need to get over it.
Comments
By James on March 25th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
No. Catholics don’t need to get over it. They can speak their minds on an issue and vote with their wallets just like anyone else.
Frankly, the Tigers are alienating a segment of their fanbase and it’ll cost them at the ticket booth. Plain and simple.
By Aquinas on March 25th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
No, we Catholics should not just “get over it.” You libertarian secularists need to get a clue about why religion is such an important part of many people’s lives.
Holy Week is the most solemn week of the liturgical year, and Good Friday is the most solemn day of that week, part of the three most sacred days of the year. The mystery of our salvation runs so deep that it takes these three days (known in many Christian circles as the Triduum) to fully express its significance. As Fr. Richard John Neuhaus put it, “In the Christian view of things, all reality turns around the ‘paschal mystery’ of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” And as the one priest said in that AP article you ran, “Nobody is saying baseball isn’t big, but Good Friday is really big,” Vilkauskas told The Detroit News. “It’s 2,000 years old.”
And while it would be a very enriching experience to celebrate the Triduum in Jerusalem at the appointed hour, I think it’s more important to show God the respect due in the very time and place you find yourself, whether it’s Eastern Standard Time, or Far East Time. But whatever time that is, your attitude toward the unfolding last hours of the day Dante described as “the love that moves the sun and all the other stars” proclaims more loudly what is really important in your life, especially when those hours coincide with a mere sporting event.
By T4 on March 26th, 2009 at 9:16 am
The only thing more annoying than “Cat-aholic” rhetoric is wathcing Nancy Grace. Yes, she SUCKS!
By T4 on March 26th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Damn it Aquinas, sports move the stars and create their own supernatural paradoxes. Haven’t you ever seen “Miracle” with Kurt Russell coaching against all odds. Most fail to remember your ridiculous, decadent, government-paid days off, but they remember the moment an ameteur hockey team brought the “Iron Curtain” to their knees. By the way, before you get all serious and malevolent, this is a joke to me, I encourage you to treat is as such. RahRah!
By Mattheus Mei on March 26th, 2009 at 9:56 am
And you call me the Vatican’s “fluffer”….
By Monkeydarts on March 26th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Last year the Tampa Bay 9 took Devil out of their name and ended up in the World Series. Hmmm. Tigers best beware. Since Detroit’s manager’s brother is a Roman Catholic priest though they’ll get their prayers answered.
By John on March 26th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I’m an episcopalian, and even I know you don’t piss off the man upstairs. Detroit’s a shithole anyway. Maybe they’ll start a union for disgruntled fans – yeah, that’ll work.