January 11, 2023 While I’ve been a football fan for years, I wasn’t familiar with this term/nickname until this year. Once I became familiar with it, I immediately disliked it. The term/nickname is “Mr. Irrelevant.” In professional football, “Mr. Irrelevant” is the last college player chosen to become a professional in the annual “draft” process. While the player has an entire “Irrelevant Week” dedicated to them, as the name suggests, no one expects much of the person who is picked last. “It’s all in fun,” my son explained one day. “They celebrate the guy.” “But they call him irrelevant,” I responded. “I guess I don’t find it fun or funny. No human being should ever be considered irrelevant.” They shouldn’t be, but they are. There are humans who are considered irrelevant and unwanted before they’re even born. There are others who are made to feel that way when they’re seriously ill or elderly. Others yet are deemed irrelevant when they are convicted of a crime. It seems our society, our culture considers lots of people irrelevant. Interestingly enough, I only discovered the term “Mr. Irrelevant,” because the current holder of the title, a young man named Brock Purdy who plays with the San Francisco 49ers, is now an NFL starting quarterback, and he’s stacking wins fast and taking his team into the playoffs. Mr. Irrelevant became very relevant. This week, we’re highlighting the Respect Life second collection. This is an opportunity to help promote the dignity and relevance of all life from conception to natural death. This collection supports charities in our own diocese that help mothers and babies, promote life and educate others about the sanctity of life. It’s an opportunity for each of us to pray for and support life and show that we believe that no human being is irrelevant. |
|||||
|
|||||||||
