Last week I had the good fortune to make my annual pilgrimage to Wrigley Field to see a Cubs game. It's a gorgeous ball park, full of history and tradition, worth a visit whether you're a Cubs fan or not. It was a gray, rainy day in Chicago right up until game time, when fortuitously, the clouds went away. The weather stayed clear and pleasantly warm just long enough for the Cubs to win 9-4, a victory that made the evening even more fulfilling.
This is the time of year when the Cubs typically fall out of contention like the leaves of autumn fall out of their trees, and this year is no exception. August has been brutal for the Cubbies, and their playoff hopes are almost over once again. The team has not won the World Series for 100 years, and their loyal fans yearn to know when this long run of bitter disappointment will be over, when victory will finally come. The good news is that there is an answer to this question, at least according to popular legend, and that answer is, "The Cubs will win the World Series when hell freezes over!"
I am fascinated with the power of symbolism. How in the world is hell freezing over connected to baseball? Hell is a place of suffering, of torment, of hopelessness and despair. Obviously a real hell, if it existed, would be a far more serious thing than a losing baseball team; but on a far less grim level, Cubs fans do suffer. To say that hell will freeze over someday is to say that there will be an end to suffering; hope will replace despair, and joy will triumph over pain. It's a great image, an optimistic vision of the future. Even the lowliest will eventually come to glory. What a powerful faith statement!
To look to a day when hell freezes over is to affirm that life is full of hope, that pain and suffering are not eternal, that joy and love are ultimately stronger than despair. Whether one takes that affirmation literally or metaphorically, it is a message that lifts the spirit and gives us courage. It places the sufferings of life, or a long losing streak, into perspective. Yes, suffering is real, but suffering is not the final answer. That is the problem with hell. It says that for countless souls, there will be no hope, no more chances, no next year. But every Cubs fan knows that this is not true. There is always next year. There is always hope. Even hell will be overcome someday.
The religious group that has consistently taken the faith stance that hell will not be the final victor in human life, but that love will conquer all, is called Universalism. As an old Universalist saying goes, "We live in eternal expectation of the dawn." Or in baseball language, "Wait till next year!" May your favorite team win someday.
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Michael--
ReplyDeleteMy father must be playing baseball in heaven! So I think he must have enjoyed the blog, though he was a lifelong Kansas City baseball fan, beginning with the old KC A's and then the Royals. But then, he's probably doing some Zen meditation in heaven too... Wish you could have met him and he you!! Peace, Joy
"Yes, suffering is real, but suffering is not the final answer. That is the problem with hell. It says that for countless souls, there will be no hope, no more chances, no next year. But every Cubs fan knows that this is not true. There is always next year. There is always hope. Even hell will be overcome someday."
ReplyDeletewow. i dont know nothin' 'bout baseball. but this gives me serious stuff to think about! how can there be eternal hell when there is always hope?
jen mcd
I'm reminded of George Carlin's wonderful comparison of football and baseball metaphors. I can't remember all of it, but one line that remains with me is something like, "In football you 'march down the field'; in baseball you 'come home.' Doesn't that make a smile? I suffer this season along with you Cub fans, as my team is dwelling even further down the standings than the Wrigleys.
ReplyDeleteJoy,
ReplyDeleteI was a KC A's fan too when I was kid living in a KC suburb! I also like the image of heaven as a place where interfaith activities are taking place. Thanks.
Jen,
ReplyDeleteHow can there be eternal hell when there is always hope? That's it!
JDSavoyard,
ReplyDeleteI love the symbolism of baseball and coming home is one of those delightful symbols. We go on a journey and return to where we started, but with a new sense of meaning (a run) because of the adventure we have been on. If we do it all at once we call it a HOME Run! What a great game!