Interesting article!
Chess lessons for Catholic Men
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Mankind has been playing chess for over 1,500 years. To many of us, chess may seem like just a pastime or an exercise for the brain. But this age-old war-game in fact offers five practical strategies for living life as a Catholic man.
Focus on the center
Chess players will tell you that you have to stay focused on the center of the board. If you can occupy the center, you can reach the whole board, and move out to meet your enemy on his side of the battle lines.
As Catholic men, we need to keep our focus on the center of our lives. What’s most important? What do we spend our time thinking about and pursuing?
The devil wants to distract us from what really matters—to keep us chasing after pleasure or power, and away from the Heart of Things. Whether it’s sports, television, or the pursuit of money, our busy culture keeps us, as T.S. Eliot once put it, “Distracted from distraction by distraction.” But if we lose touch with the center of our Christian life, we’ll dissipate our energies in a million pointless ways, which is exactly what our infernal opponent wants us to do.
Jesus warns us about this. Explaining the parable of the sower to his disciples, he described the thorns that stifle the Gospel in our hearts: “but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” We’re meant to live with purpose; we’re meant to have a mission. Staying focused on the center will place us at the heart of God’s plan for mankind. As the author of Proverbs states, “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you” (4:25). So, take a little time to assess: what is truly most important, and which things distract me from the center of my life?
Don’t overlook the pawns
On a chessboard, pawns may seem pretty useless. (Read more HERE)