Sports connect us to religious life

As the fall season approaches, football, cross-country, and many other sports capture the attention of many people. People gather in stadiums, plans are made to secure one’s seat to watch the game on television, and the local paper is filled with the activities and achievements of local students. although the thrill of the competition and its entertainment value are often the primary source of attraction, the very concept of sports and competition enjoys deep spiritual and religious principles. 

 

At the heart of Christianity is the belief that we have been created in the image of God, containing both a body and a soul. Our soul animates our body, giving it life and the possibility of developing talents, cultivating discipline, and mastering the world around us. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, purchased at a great price (1 Corinthians 6:19), which we are to care for, develop, and discipline, according to the precepts of the Lord. Sports are a pathway that can help one appreciate and develop these qualities. 

 

During my late teens and early twenties, I enjoyed participating in the sport of bike racing. Excelling in this sport requires patience and discipline. A cyclist learns how to improve his performance through proper breathing and pedal techniques, balance exercises, and much more. Learning how to isolate and improve upon each of these qualities taught me invaluable life lessons for work and living the Christian life. Is it not true that the perseverance, self-control, and discipline necessary to excel in a sport are mirrored in the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, and charity toward those around us?

 

Another gift that sports has to offer is a sense of community. This often takes the form of cooperation and teamwork between athletes. Members of a team can both challenge and depend upon each other to improve their performance and reach their goals. Players recognize the need to acknowledge and respect each person’s strengths and weaknesses as they develop the trust and cooperation needed to function well as a team. The development of community is also fitting among spectators. A true sense of community develops around a team as they rejoice when the player succeeds and offer encouragement when a member falls short. Christians are like players on a team, St. Paul tells us that “as the body is one adn has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12). As if players on a team, Christians do well to support, encourage, and work with one another, recognizing both strengths and weaknesses in living out our faith, “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind...looking not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:2-3).

 

Modeled after Christ, sports also possess a moral dimensions. Respect for the rules of a game, fair play, and full respect for players on the other team are essential to playing a game well. When people are held to the standard of playing fairly, these lessons will overflow to other areas of life. Although one may not understand or agree with the rules of a game or the decision of a referee, actions such as cheating, vanity, or disrespect towards members of the other team are unacceptable. 

 

What more can we learn from sports that connect us to the Christian life? Just as discipline, training, methodology, and passion for the sport are all necessary to achieve the final goal of winning the game, Saint Paul offers a beautiful analogy for the Christian. “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable cown, but we an imperishable one...I drive my body and train for it, for fear that after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 10:25-27).