A Good Day at the Ballpark

A Good Day at the Ballpark
The Lord Loves a Cheerful Giver

By Dave Mishur

"Hey, what's that?" asked Joe, as stooped down to pick up a small piece of paper off the sidewalk. "It fell out of your missal."
"What is it?" asked Moe.
"It looks like a holy card."
The two friends were returning home after attending early morning Mass. They didn't go every day, but tried to fit in at least one weekday service in addition to their Sunday attendance.
They were an odd pair. Obviously not wealthy; you could tell that from their dress, which was neat and clean though clearly years behind the current style trends. They shared rooms in the same mid-north apartment complex and spent their days reading, watching old TV programs, visiting the racetracks and occasionally placing wagers of moderate size.
"This is strange," said Joe.
"What is strange," asked Moe.
"It's a picture of Wrigley Field."
"I have no idea where it came from," Moe said, flipping the pages of his missal in search of any additional loose insertions.
"I believe it is an omen!" declared Joe. "I believe God is telling us we should go to the game today. The Cardinals are in town."
"That sounds like fun," added Moe.
"More than fun, I say," Joe replied. "I believe this is an omen that today will be our lucky day and we may not only enjoy the grass and sunshine of Wrigley Field but we may also be able to enrich ourselves by making a substantial wager on today's sporting event."
And so the two friends decided to travel to the ballpark. They had no difficulty arranging the bet. Confident of their anticipated wealth, they each enjoyed an extra hotdog and ice cold beer. The game proceeded as expected and they soon left the park, their stomachs full and their pockets bugling with cash.
The crowd leaving the park was a joyous one, celebrating a Cubs' victory. Moms and dads and kids were lively and cheerful. It had been a good day, full of excitement and some excellent play by both teams.
"Look there!" shouted Joe, suddenly. He had spotted a group of children surrounding a rather slight nun in a traditional habit who was handing out candy and treats. The kids were jumping up and down in childlike excitement.
"Those kids are really enjoying themselves," said Moe.
"Unless you become like little children…" said Joe, recalling the Gospel passage. They both nodded in agreement.
The idyllic scene suddenly deflated as the nun raised her hands and said, "That's all boys and girls. I don't have anything more to give you."
Joe looked at Moe knowingly. Moe returned the look. Together they approached the nun and said, "We have been very fortunate of late and might like to thank the Lord for his generosity by helping you purchase additional goodies for these lovely little children. They each pulled out a twenty from the wads in their pockets.
"Oh thank you," the young nun said. "You are so generous."
"We are happy to help," the two responded, nodded, and turned to go on their way.
"But really candy for the children is the least of our problems," she said.
Joe and Moe stared at her quizzically.
"Our little congregation is almost out of funds," she said, "we may not be able to pay next month's rent and will have to close our mission. We have so many needy people in our neighborhood and our food pantry is all some of them have to rely on."
The two friends shrugged their shoulders in sympathy and stuffed their hands into their pockets. They intended to keep them there but found it was impossible to do so. For just a moment they stared intently at the sidewalk and then at each other. Slowly and deliberately they pulled their hands from their pockets and handed the day's winnings to the nun. She hopped up and down in youthful happiness. Joe and Moe smiled.
"My, you were very fortunate today," she said with a wink. She knew where the money came from, but also that it would be put to good use for her congregation and the neighborhood.
Dutifully, the two newly impoverished gamblers escorted the nun to her mission out of concern for her safety in the very crowded streets with the sizeable amount of cash she was carrying.
As she ascended the stairs of the mission she turned to thank her benefactors one more time, saying, "I found this after Mass this morning. I think it fell out of my missal. I wasn't planning on going to the game."
She handed them a small picture of Wrigley Field, holy card size.
"I have no idea where it came from," she said.