Jesus + Hockey

So I am an avid hockey fan, many people knew that, but this advertisement that the Catholic Church put in TheStar news is a little sketchy at best. You can check out the article here. Well now that you have come back from it I want to take a little bit of time to touch on this ad and article.

I just want to highlight this section of the article, if you dont read the whole thing this part sums it up well. and I quote,

"But the treatment the Habs receive from some fans, bordering on the sacred, is unmistakable. Linking the two is “logical,” Bauer said.

The team, and its jersey, are called “La sainte flanelle” (the holy flannel). Patrick Roy was called “Saint Patrick.”

“The religion of the Canadiens in Montreal takes the form of Catholicism,” he explained. He cited the example of one fan he knows who has literally created a Habs “temple” in his house, with the appearance of a Catholic church, complete with altar, the centre of which sits a replica Stanley Cup

I dont know about you but I have a problem with this. Jesus should not be linked to anything, not hockey, not a political agenda, nothing, especially not the Montreal Canadiens, sorry Oilers fan here. Yes it is true people do worship sport, and I am sure people worship the Canadiens like they are there God, but you cannot link the real God who saves with another religion or false god.

In John 4:6 Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me. You can't link Jesus with anything else. Jesus + anything = Nothing. Jesus can only be worshipped alone. Exodus 20:3, you shall have no other God's before me. we are to worship God alone, so I am not sure how this bishop finds it ok that a man has a shrine, or temple to the Canadiens. So he not only has a false god, but has erected a temple for it as well.

Linking the two, God and the Canadiens is the least logical thing I can think of. I would say this is a misguided attempt at best by the Catholic Church to be relevant, but in the end they make Jesus irrelevant, you cannot link Jesus to anything, it just cheapens who Jesus is and what he has done.

I agree we need to pray, but somehow I dont think God is concerned with whether the Canadiens make the playoffs or not. Yes I do get the fact that this was sort of a joke, but behind every joke lies truth, and I think this joke maybe missed the mark.