Reflection

Reflection on Sport (by Nick Brodie)

‘Every good and worthwhile human activity’, Pope Leo says, ‘is in some way a reflection of God’s infinite beauty, and sport is certainly one of these.’

Sport, the pope explains, ‘challenges us to relate to others and with others, not only outwardly but also, and above all, interiorly. It shows us the importance of ‘giving of ourselves, putting ourselves “in play” … giving of ourselves for others.’

The pope therefore wants us to approach sport as a means, not an end. It is good for us when it is ‘for our personal improvement, for our athletic supporters, for our loved ones, our coaches and colleagues, for the greater public, and even for our opponents.’

In this spirit, the pope wants us to appreciate that sport itself is ‘an important means of reconciliation and encounter’, which can teach us ‘the value of cooperating, working together and sharing.’ He hopes it provides us ‘a valuable and concrete means of bringing individuals together’ in our highly fractured world. He sees its potential for teaching us ‘the art of losing, to confront one of the deepest truths of our human condition: our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections.’

‘It is daily training in love that brings us closer to final victory’, he points out, ‘and enables us to contribute to the building of a new world.’