Baseball Star Details Post-Retirement Plans to Spread the Christian Faith (Plus: His Views on the Bible and Homosexuality)

"Everything I have and everything I became is because of the strength of the Lord, and through him I have accomplished everything."

Mariano Rivera's impending retirement from the New York Yankees will likely disappoint some fans, but it seems the famed relief pitcher already has some intriguing post-MLB plans. In an interview with New York Magazine (complete with a cover story and a headline that reads, "Pitching God"), Rivera discussed his career -- and his plans to advance the Christian faith following his coming exit from the sports world.

Writer Lisa Miller spoke with Rivera, who is currently playing his final season with the Yankees, about his astounding athletic abilities and plenty more. Rather than praising himself, the baseball player humbly noted that he does nothing by his own accord and that his abilities all come from God. Here's how the dialogue unfolded (from Miller's perspective):

“Everything I have and everything I became is because of the strength of the Lord, and through him I have accomplished everything,” he tells me as we sit shoulder to shoulder in the Yankees dugout on a temperate, breezy spring day last month. “Not because of my strength. Only by his love, his mercy, and his strength.” It is the first of several conversations about God I have with Rivera, over several weeks, and in each meeting I find myself struck by how eager he is to put baseball aside and speak openly, and at length, about his faith. Even as Rivera denies that his talent belongs to him, I steal a look at his magic right arm. “You don’t own your gifts like a pair of jeans,” he says.
By that reasoning, I venture, you might say that even the cutter doesn’t belong to you.
“It doesn’t,” he answers, nodding emphatically. “It doesn’t. He could give it to anyone he wants, but you know what? He put it in me. He put it in me, for me to use it. To bring glory, not to Mariano Rivera, but to the Lord.”

Closing pitcher Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 9, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. The Yankees defeated the Mariners 2-1. Credit: Getty Images

Miller noted that Rivera "speaks less like a theologian than like an enthusiastic believer," focusing the vast majority of the article on his views on God, the Bible and the impact that these elements have had on his career. In commenting about control and one's relationship about God, the famed Yankees player offered up his insight, speaking quite openly and overtly.

“When you’re talking about the Lord, it’s your creator. Everything. Your lord. Your master. Your owner. Your everything. I do believe that if you call God our Lord, it means he rules over you," Rivera said. "And sometimes we don’t let him do that. We don’t let that happen. We call him Lord, yes, but on circumstance. Not on everything. And how come if he’s our Lord, we don’t allow him to rule over everything?"

His point? Sometimes, people try to control their own lives and they do not wholeheartedly allow the Lord to guide them.

While all of these elements were fascinating, Rivera's post-retirement plans are, perhaps, the most noteworthy. Rather than using his athletic abilities, the baseball player will be working in and through a church that he and his wife, Clara, are building. The locations, a former Presbyterian church that was in ruins, was purchased for $2.5 million from the City of New Rochelle (New York) in 2011. It is currently being renovated and will be open for worship in a month or two, Miller reports.

New York Yankees closing pitcher Mariano Rivera signs a jersey following a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, June 9, 2013, in Seattle. Credit: AP

His wife, who is not yet ordained, will be the pastor and the church will be called Refugio de Esperanza (Refuge of Hope). Naturally, considering his standing, it won't be hard to attract parishioners. But it turns out the family already has a few dozen people who meet in their home regularly in Purchase, New York.

So, it seems there's already a built-in and diverse group ready to show up when the new-found church officially opens its doors.

"We have whites, we have blacks, we have Hispanics. We’ll have all kinds. It don’t matter," he told Miller. "As long as you love Christ, we in it. And if you don’t love him, we will work with you so we put you on the right path."

But his plans go well beyond Refugio de Esperanza. He wants to continue donating to help those in need and he plans to fund church start-ups not only in New York, but around the globe. His connection with God, he told Miller, is intense, as he experiences the Lord through dreams, songs and, quite obviously, the Bible.

As is the case in any interview with a Christian celebrity these days, the issue of homosexuality came up and Rivera answered honestly and respectfully.

"You want to be that, hey, you be it. If that’s going to make you happy, you be it. I do respect that," he said. "But I don’t share it. If it’s the right thing to do -- the Bible doesn’t tell me that"

Read the entire New York Magazine interview with Rivera.

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