The Saints’ winning season is proof that everyone loves a winner and that all have a desire to be a part of a successful mission. What the football team has accomplished, besides winning games, is getting people to feel a part of being a winner.

Over the years and as recently as last year, wives complained about their husbands being couch potatoes and wasting time looking at the disappointing Saints. Now these same wives cut shopping trips short not to miss the kickoff.

Everywhere you go, the talk is about the Saints making the Super Bowl. Even in church the focus is on the New Orleans Saints.

Two weeks ago, I attended Mass in Reserve at Our Lady of Grace Church. Father Rodney, one of my favorite pastors, always has a great message. Besides that, the choir is one of the best. They usually are dressed in their beautiful gowns, but not this day. All had Saints jerseys on with their favorite players’ numbers (9, 25, 16, etc.)

Regardless of their ages, whole families have adopted the Saints as part of their family.

Before the Dallas Cowboys game, my great-grandson Dylan, only 2 1/2 years old, with his black and gold Saints shirt on, went around the house saying, “Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints? Surely not the Cowboys.” (The Cowboys won, but that hasn’t quenched Dylan’s spirit.)

The jail meeting I’m privileged to conduct on Wednesday nights is always exciting, but now the Saints give the inmates something they can be a part of and their attitudes are more positive.

Almost every business you enter, you can hear the song, “When the Saints go marching in.” A Catholic friend I talked to Saturday morning who was going to the game, when asked who was going to win said, “The Saints, naturally. Saints are above the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and Deacons.”

This Sunday, the Saints will host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, the first ever to be played in New Orleans. The Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, at 40 years old, has a passion for the game, but most importantly, he seems to have fun playing. Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback, is the same. He is a leader who motivates his teammates and excites the fans.

Regardless of who wins and goes to the Super Bowl in Miami, the buildup for the game will make the game almost anticlimactic.

As I end this article, God is telling me that He wishes I had the same passion for Jesus that many people have for the Saints.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.