Pastor's Corner

From the Pastor

Pastor's Corner

February 8, 2026

Not the PASTOR’S CORNER, today it’s the ASSISTANT’S ALLEY!

Super Bowl Sunday or Sexagesima Sunday?

Alas, Super Bowl Sunday has arrived once again. It is truly a magnificent day when we celebrate all things American: football, food, entertainment, and television. Of course, my beloved Eagles are not participating this year. Perhaps this is God’s way of challenging my priorities. Last year when the Eagles won, I got in trouble because I ran through the halls of my seminary screaming and cheering, and I woke up some of my brother seminarians. My investment will be much more reserved this year.

Allow me to give a few data from last year’s game, for if the past is any predictor of the future, this year’s game will attain similar results.

Approximately 130 million people watched last year’s big game between the Eagles and the Chiefs. This country may be polarized by politics, but football seems to bridge any divide. It is estimated that Americans consumed 1.47 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LIX. That is 1,470,000,000 wings! Our animal friends must dread this weekend. Finally, between casino betting, online sportsbooks, and office pools, Americans wagered nearly $20.8 billion on the contest. That is $20,800,000,000! I admit, I had a bet the Eagles would win, so I was a happy camper.

Now, before you cancel your order of wings or bow out of your office Super Bowl Squares, please continue reading. These things are not bad! As mentioned above, in a time of divisive polarization, the Super Bowl has the incredible capacity to bring us together, even if it is only for a few hours. My aim is simply to note the astronomical size of those figures.

What does this have to do with Catholicism?

Well, it just so happens that Super Bowl Sunday coincides with Sexagesima Sunday this year. Sexagesima is Latin for “sixty.” This weekend is sixty days before the celebration of the holiest day of the year, namely Easter

Sunday. Sexagesima Sunday has largely fallen by the wayside (I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it before), as we normally think of Lent commencing with Ash Wednesday.

Lent does indeed begin with Ash Wednesday, but we have lost some of the ancient wisdom behind observing Sexagesima Sunday. How many times has Ash Wednesday arrived, and we did not yet have our Lenten fast decided? How many times have we not resolved to increase our prayer? How many times have we made no effort to increase our almsgiving? How many times have we made bacon or sausage for breakfast on Ash Wednesday morning, forgetting to abstain from meat?

Sexagesima Sunday is designed to overcome our human forgetfulness. It is difficult to go zero to one hundred, to just turn on the “Lenten switch”. Sexagesima Sunday forces us to get a “gameplan” for Lent. How are we going to grow in our relationship with the Lord?

The three staples of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Did I pray for the Eagles to win last year? You better believe it. But who actually needs our prayers? Will we make an effort to go to daily Mass in Lent, to join our Hallow prayer challenge, to attend Stations of the Cross?

Did I consume a copious amount of chicken wings last year? Again, the answer is yes. But what are we going to give up this Lent? Try something different, something that really distracts us from the Lord.

Did I bet on the Eagles to win? Yup. Can we use some of our resources to help others who truly need it? Let’s make a concrete plan for Lenten almsgiving. St. Francis Soup Kitchen? Catholic Social Services? Humanitarian aid for Catholic Missions? Surely, we can spare some of our winnings.

So, enjoy the big game, but also recall Sexagesima Sunday. Now, we have no excuse for Lent to catch us off guard.

Let’s plan to fast intentionally, to pray more intently, and to give more generously. It’s not complicated. All the saints have extolled prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as privileged means to get closer to God. No trick plays or onside kicks needed.

Faith Like a Child

If you Google Search recommendations on how to raise generous children, almost every list of ideas begins with — or at least contains — the directive for adults to be good models of generosity themselves. Our children learn from our actions much more than from our words. Of course, when I think back over the years while my children were growing up, I think I may have learned as much from them as they learned from me. There is a time between early childhood and middle school where a child seems to be freer to give and share than at any other time in life. It is around the age of First Communion when the cries of “mine” turn to laughter and smiles, and the urge to be a part of something bigger than oneself leads to sharing. Before you know it, the child hits the pre-teen years, and once again, he or she becomes the center of the universe. I believe that the previous paragraph is all true, however, the stages described seem to repeat themselves throughout adulthood. Don’t you agree? Sometimes we fall into seeing ourselves as the center of the universe, or we become consumed by our state in life or with what we have acquired. Also, we at times are generous and loving people. It is sin that draws us back into ourselves and away from any meaningful life of stewardship and generosity. In order to be freed for love, we need role models to help us see what really matters. We need to reflect on the example of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And, yes, we need to look to children who may be at the point in their lives where sharing is fun, and love is something in abundance.

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