This has been a crazy week. All of the Homecoming activities, including some creative costumes, were certainly out of the ordinary. Then, the United States seemed to slide too easily into yet another war. The change of seasons was part of the difference. Now we go from lions to tigers on the football field. Young people are good at change. It’s part of the adventure of being young.

The culmination of the week centers on that arena where the athletes compete tonight. Both the words “athlete” and “arena” are of the Greek origin. An athlete is a person who competes in public sports and the arena is the public place of combat. Most ancient sports were actual combats. The athlete who lost was the one who got killed. Thus “arena”, which literally means “sand” was spread on the ground to soak up the blood.

We have greatly reduced the violence of ancient times, if not in our national wars, then clearly in out sports. I’m going to quote President Theodore Roosevelt at the end of these remarks, but first I want to say something about today’s saints- Cosmos and Damien. They were brothers who lived in the 3^rd Century. Both were doctors and in their lifetime were famous not only because they healed a lot of people, but also because they never charged any money.  Sort of the ultimate in health care.

Because they were Christians in the days where Christians were killed for being Christians, they were executed and were martyrs- or witnesses of their faith. Ironically, they were martyred in Syria, where the same thing is happening all over again. On the feast of martyrs, the color of the priest’s vestments are red, the color of blood.

They are the patron saints of all professions of medicine, from doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and all others dedicated to making people healthy.

Your health in the arena is the reason we gather in prayer before each game. You are in the arena not to hurt or be hurt, but to exercise the quality of your competition.

This is the only high-school (or college) team in Idaho that has Mass on game day. That was one of several reasons I enjoyed the Reno game- two teams in the same chapel whose actions in the arena had a special quality about it.

Mr. Caldwell introduced public prayer before our home games and I have noticed better-behaved spectators.

So, in the midst of cosmic, international and local changes, we have improved the quality of our competition. It brings honor to all who will gather tonight.

Last week, on PBS, a documentary series on the Roosevelt family was broadcast. They were a competitive family, rich beyond measure, but who gave their lives to the betterment of the nation.

By extraordinary effort of the mind both Presidents Theodore and Franklin overcame physical adversity. Theodore wore a short essay called, “In the Arena”

Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Go Knights.

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