Could Tebow hear John Paul II?

What celebrity in Denver stated: “Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places. … This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops.”

If you’ve been following the Tim Tebow phenomenon, that’s an easy answer: It’s the former Broncos quarterback.

Guess again.

The orator was none other than Pope John Paul II, during the closing Mass of World Youth Day 1993, which I attended in theMile High City along with 600,000 others. Tebow was living in Florida and had just turned 6 the day before, but you’d swear the pope was talking directly to him based on how the football sensation famously promotes his Christianity.

OK, so he’s Baptist. How many Catholics do you know who carry out the pope’s edict as well as Tebow?

Lots of devout Catholics, not to mention other Christians, get uncomfortable making public displays of affection for our Lord. And yet, Tebow’s actions demonstrate that wonderful things can happen when one takes that leap of faith. Sure, Tebow has some critics in the mass media and general public, but overall reception has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, Tebow, who recently became a New York Jet, was named America’s favorite pro athlete in a recent ESPN poll. And now, “Tebowing” is the in thing to do — getting down on one knee, placing an elbow on the knee and a fist against the forehead in a praying pose.

Denver’s — if not the nation’s — most talked-about athlete this past season engineered several Bronco comeback wins and a trip to the playoffs. His open beliefs make him a hero for many non-sports fans as well.

Yet Tebow was only doing what our beloved pontiff implored all Catholics to do while visiting the same city nearly two decades ago.

Mike Latona is a contributor to the Good Sports Blog and serves as senior staff writer for the Catholic Courier in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y. He is co-author of A Coach and a Miracle: Life Lessons from a Man Who Believed in an Autistic Boy (Beacon, 2011). The book is available at www.amazon.com and in bookstores.