When Alex Johnston crossed the line to claim the NRL’s all-time try-scoring record, the reaction was immediate.
Teammates sprinted in from everywhere and fans poured onto the field. The stadium erupted.
It wasn’t the polite applause that greets a milestone. It was bigger than that. People simply couldn’t stay where they were. Joy pulled everyone toward the moment.
I watched the scenes unfold and felt strangely joyful myself. There was something about the sheer, unfiltered celebration that was hard not to smile at.
Rugby league is a tough, physical game, but every now and then it produces moments that feel childlike in their joy.
It wasn’t until later, reflecting on the moment, that something else came to mind. This Wednesday the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation.
In a homily, the mediaeval doctor of the church St Bernard of Clairvaux imagines that moment with remarkable drama. The angel Gabriel has delivered God’s message to Our Lady, and the whole world seems to pause while awaiting her response.
St Bernard poetically describes all of creation holding its breath, as the salvation of humanity rests on the answer of this young woman. It’s a striking image: the world in suspense, waiting for a yes.
And then, of course, comes Mary’s response – her fiat: “Let what you have said be done to me.”
I remember once reading a reflection that took the dramatic image one step further. If all of creation was waiting for Mary’s answer, what must have happened when she finally said yes?
Perhaps creation itself rejoiced.
I don’t know if we can truly imagine it like that, but the image has always stayed with me –heaven and earth erupting in celebration at the moment God enters the world through Mary’s obedience.
Oddly enough, the scenes after Johnston’s try brought that reflection back to mind. Because when something truly good happens, celebration rarely stays contained. It spills out. It draws people together. It invites everyone nearby to share in the moment.
That’s exactly what we saw on the weekend. After years of tries and seasons of consistency, Johnston reached a milestone many thought might never be touched. And the reaction around him said everything.
This wasn’t just his moment. It belonged to everyone who had shared in the journey.
And moments like that are not just limited to past milestones. They are available to us now as well.
Christ says in the Gospel, there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. In other words, heaven erupts every time we turn away from sin and seek reconciliation through the Sacrament of Confession.
If a stadium can erupt for a try-scoring record, perhaps it’s not such a stretch to imagine heaven bursting with joy when someone turns back to God.
Sport has a way of revealing simple human truths. One of them is that joy is contagious. When something good happens, people move toward it. They celebrate it. They share in it.
And watching the celebrations around Alex Johnston on the weekend, I couldn’t help but wonder if moments like that offer a small glimpse of something bigger – the kind of joy that echoes even in heaven.
