The
big event tonight was the soccer match between Germany and the Czech
Republic. My father and I had an early dinner so we could watch it on
TV.
I will always remember the Czech goalkeeper. He played
an astonishingly good game; many times he prevented the Germans from
scoring. His agility, courage, foresight, and iron nerves made him in
my eyes the great hero. But in overtime, when the match was 1-1, he
couldn't hold on to the ball that the German player shot into his
hands, so he was the reason why the Germans, not the Czechs, received
the European Cup from Queen Elizabeth. He will be remembered not as a
hero but as the man who failed to give the Czech Republic its victory.
While the Germans were dancing on the field, embracing one another,
crying with joy, and raising their arms victoriously, this talented
goalkeeper sat against one of the goalposts, his head buried in his
knees. Nobody was there with him. He was the loser.
I feel
deeply moved by the image of the defeated goalkeeper. All his great
performances will be forgotten, in light of the one mistake that cost
the Czechs the greatly desired European Cup. I often wonder about this
"final mistake." After a long and fruitful life, one unhappy event, one
mistake, one sin, one failure can be enough to create a lasting memory
of defeat. For what will we be remembered? For our many acts of
kindness, generosity, courage, and love, or for the one mistake we made
toward the end? "Yes, he was fabulous, but he failed." "Yes, she was a
saintly person, but she sinned." "Yes, they were great, but at the end
they disappointed us."
Sometimes I think about dying
before the great mistake! What if the "saints" had lived longer and had
not been able to keep the ball in their hands at the final moment?
Would such a small mistake have brought their saintliness to nothing?
It frightens me to think this way. I realize that finally human beings
are very fickle in their judgments. God and only God knows us in our
essence, loves us well, forgives us fully, and remembers us for who we
truly are.
© Henri Nouwen.Return to the DCI World News pageThe DCI Fellowship