Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

The Name of the Game

If those who say life is a game are correct, then what kind of game is it, what is the reward for winning and what is the strategy?

If life is all about achieving the greatest amount of power, material success, influence and fame, and every one else is regarded as an obstacle, that might be called the game of Beating All Others, in which the strategy is to be competitive, aggressive and willing, if necessary, to push all other players out of the way.

But one can choose another game, in which the objective is to seek and receive from God his gifts of peace, love and forgiveness. We might call it the game of Gifts and Generosity, with the strategy being to accept God’s gifts while reaching out in love and kindness to others, excluding no one. And in that game no one has to lose.

This is clearly the game at which Jesus excelled. He lived his life by receiving everything from his Father (Matthew 4: 1-11) and by reaching out not only to the poor and marginalized but even to his enemies. And if that is so, then shouldn’t those of us who claim to follow him be playing the game of Gifts and Generosity as well?