The Joy of Being a Hoosiers Fan

Are you around at all for the next hour? Wanted to stop by with the trophy!”

“I sure am,” I replied. About fifteen minutes later, Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback of the Indiana University football team, walked into the lobby of the St. Paul Catholic Center on campus with the Heisman Trophy. I have received wonderful Christmas presents, but holding the Heisman Trophy and celebrating with the winner—who is one of my parishioners—on Christmas Eve is undoubtedly the most outstanding Christmas present I have ever received.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (15:11). Jesus had the joy of doing the will of the Father and sharing the fullness of revelation with the apostles. Joy, from a Christian perspective, is a gift to be shared. 

What a blessing it was to share the joy of the Heisman Trophy and the team’s success with Fernando. On top of that, the joy of the moment was an opportunity to marvel at how this IU football team has reversed more than a century of suffering for Hoosier fans. As the Psalmist says, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Ps. 126:5). 

Standing in the stands at the Rose Bowl and the Peach Bowl was an act of communal catharsis for generations of Hoosiers. We always seemed to be on the other side of those outcomes. As the pastor of the university’s Newman Center, I have been particularly edified to see some of the biggest contributions coming from the student athletes who are also faces in the pews on Sundays. 

My joy, however, is not limited to the success of Fernando Mendoza and the IU football team. Rather, my hope and joy are rooted in the marvels of the young church. For nearly a decade I have served as a priest on the campus of Indiana University. Like many other ministries, ours is a rapidly growing one. Our young people flourish, not because they are finding in the faith what is culturally acceptable, but because they are finding something far greater than what the world offers. In the din of a college campus, the silence of a church becomes attractive. In a world that permits everything but forgives nothing, deep, intimate friendships and the priest in the confessional are powerful antidotes. 

We faith leaders, therefore, must respect our young people, prioritize their needs, and provide a place where their faith can be nourished and can flourish. Moreover, if we want our students to take their faith seriously, we leaders must make the essentials of the faith the priority of our work. This demands that priests like me (and other ministers) work all the harder to create a ministry that helps our young people incorporate faith into their pursuit of excellence, to integrate the freedom that comes from faith into every aspect of their lives. 

In a world marked by division, hostility, and confusion, striving after holiness is often seen as impossible or the work of the extraordinary saints. Others believe that holiness requires detachment from the world. However, despite the challenges, it is possible to be holy and good in the world. It all starts with faithfulness and love; placing our trust in God’s providential care and extending his love to all through our actions. 

How one goes about doing good, living one’s faith, and loving one’s neighbor is not some hidden secret. We are made for relationship with others. We respond to the invitation of the Lord to worship in the church, to pray without ceasing, to share the goodness of the Lord with others, and to love those who are in need simply by doing those things. 

Football games are great. Winning the Heisman Trophy is an incredible accomplishment. Not all of us can show up at our church with the Heisman Trophy or be part of a successful football team, but all of us can share our lives, our joys and sorrows, and our hearts with others. The best place to start is with the Lord. Prayer, far from being extraordinary, is the most reasonable act for a person who seeks clarity and focus. God wants to be all in all. Prayer opens the door.

More and more young people—like Fernando and so many others—are responding to God’s fidelity by entrusting their hearts and lives to him. They then light other hearts on fire, and that fire is spreading. I am grateful to be a Hoosier fan. My faith is being deepened by the witness of our young people who are courageously and zealously proclaiming and living their faith.