Gaudium et Spes

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, ... , these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey .... That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.

Thus begins the Pastoral Constition on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI.

As I was reading this, certain words, 'community composed of men' and 'United in Christ' which I have taken the liberty of highlighting in red, struck me as I pondered the tangled fates that lie balanced on the point of a sword.

What the heck am I talking about? It is this. There is a possibility that Man United will face Chelsea in 3 cup deciding ties, the FA Cup (both are finalists), the League Championship (Man U leads Chelsea by 5 points with 3 games remaining with a potential title decider at Stamford Bridge) and the Champions League (they'll meet in the final if Chelsea beats Liverpool and United beat AC Milan).

Why am I talking about this? Well, Holy Mother Church has said that "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, ... , these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ." The battle between United and Chelsea has certainly given rise to many joys and hopes, not to mention griefs and anxieties of many men of this age and this then concerns the Church.

As I watched the fortunes of both teams hang in the balance last Saturday as United were trailing Everton 0-2 away and Chelsea were leading Bolton 2-1 at home, I was thinking to myself, wow, we could lose all three cups to Chelsea. Wouldn't that be crappy. After the Roma win, fans started to talk about the Treble but at that moment, I was thinking that we could lose it all. But, as usual, the Good Lord came through and United won 4-2(as I predicted) and Chelsea drew which gave United a 5 point lead with 3 matches to go.

It's a bit early for Treble talk if you ask me, but hey, we all know that although Our Lady is a Blues fan, Jesus is a Red through and through, and he's calling the shots. There's even some evidence, as the picture to the right shows, that Blessed Virgin too is a Red underneath and that blue is merely a cover. United in Christ, that's what Gaudium et Spes says and let is be our call too. So, Chelsea fans out there, you'd better give up your Novena to St. Jude as I think I can smell a Treble in the air =) Just a little hope that will bring boundless joy.

United in Christ!

Sorry for the digression. Now, back to your regular programming.