Tag: Steve Javie

For a segment of people outside Philadelphia, to one of the NBA’s most widely known former referees, an on-court adjudicator considered for many of his 25 years to be one of the league’s toughest officials and quickest whistles. Dread not, says Steve Javie, ordained deacon at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Newtown, Pa.

“People are afraid of what’s going to happen,” Javie said in a phone interview last week. “They’re afraid of the economics, they’re afraid to go out of the house. You have to give them hope that this thing will pass. Now’s the time — this was a lot of my [recent] homily — to trust in the Lord.”

They could not be there in person, but then, in Javie’s current pursuit, in spirit is what really matters anyway. “Use the time now not just to watch things on Netflix or spend idle time on your computer, but to get closer to the Lord,” Javie responded when asked for isolation tips. “Take time with the family, set time aside to read scripture and talk about it. ‘What does it mean?’ “My role is about giving hope, saying ‘trust in the Lord’ and then reconnecting at a time when they’re telling us to disconnect with each other.”