An interesting, even fascinating, interview with Chicago White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers:
His wife, Nancy, has been a tremendous influence on renewing the faith of his baptism, and their daughter, Mia, is no less than an answer to prayer. Flowers discussed his faith, his family and baseball
at the halfway point of the season with correspondent Trent Beattie. Trent Beattie: Do you come from a Catholic family?
Tyler Flowers: My mother, Kelly, was raised in a Catholic family as one of seven children. In the past few years, she has been able to convince my father, a non-practicing Lutheran, to attend Mass with her.
My siblings and I were raised Catholic, but it has only been in the last five years that I’ve really gotten deeper into what the church has to offer. Even though I went to Catholic schools, it wasn’t until late in the game that I learned about things like eucharistic adoration and the rosary. I had to rely on my wife, Nancy, to introduce me to those things.
Nancy and I went to Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Ga., and since her maiden name is Fiedler, we would always have lockers next to each other in the hallway. This must have been by divine design, because she has made my life better in so many ways.
Beattie: Do you have any children?
Flower s : We were married in 2008, but didn’t conceive any children for a couple of years. I just viewed it as apparently not being God’s plan for us yet, and Nancy agreed. Yet, as more time passed without any babies, she became discouraged.
We saw Catholic doctors and found out that nothing was wrong with us physically, so their advice was to pray. We took that to heart and regularly went to eucharistic adoration. We also went to the sacrament of reconciliation more frequently. Then, once we started praying to St. Thérèse of Lisieux for help, we conceived.
It must have been God’s plan to use our lack of children as a way to get us closer to St. Thérèse. She is one of t he grea test saints of the church, so we can gain so much from her. Our biggest gain is our daughter, Mia Therese Flowers, who is almost 11 months old. She is the most wonderful gift of our marriage.
Beattie: Is it difficult to maintain family cohesion as a professional athlete?
Flowers: In the off-season, it’s not, but during the season, it really can be. The team is on the road a lot, so families don’t get to see each other as much as they’d like. That’s a major reason why so many players are looking forward to the All-Star break: It’s a time to reconnect with family.
I do enjoy playing baseball, but the game’s ups and downs can really get to you if you let t he m . It’s easy to become selfish, which leads you down the road to temptations which you wouldn’t otherwise notice. I’ve been fortunate, however, to have selfless Christian teammates to discuss holy topics with. This is an especially helpful blessing when you’re away from family.
While we agree on many things, some of my teammates don’t understand the role that Mary plays in the lives of (Catholic) Christians. The common misconception is that to be devoted to Mary is to worship her. The reality is: We are honoring her as the mother of our Savior and asking for her help. We ask for the prayers of family and friends here on earth, so why not ask for the prayers of the Queen of Heaven and Earth?
Mary’s life was selflessly and faithfully centered on her Son, so we should only expect that she wants all Christians to be united more closely to him. It’s not a matter of Mary vs. Jesus, but having an even better relationship with Jesus, through his mother, Mary.
Mothers have special relationships with their sons, and it’s no different in the Holy Family. It’s easy to see, then, why we should definitely want the Mother of our Savior on our side.
Beattie: What are some ways in which having Mary on your side has helped you?
Flowers: I love to pray rosaries, which are very Christ-centered. In fact, Jesus’ name is literally at the center of the Hail Mary. It’s been said that praying the rosary is learning about Jesus at the school of Mary.
When you consider what Jesus said about becoming like a little child in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, it’s easy to see the importance of placing ourselves at the feet of our spiritual mother, Mary.
Everyone knows it’s perfectly normal to see a child with his mother in the natural order, but the same is also true in the spiritual order: Children of God the Father need a mother, and they have one in Mary. When you become more devoted to Mary, you will inevitably become more devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist.
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