By Kielce Gussie
In St Peter’s Basilica in front of thousands of athletes of all levels, backgrounds and sports, Pope Leo XIV presided over Mass to close the Jubilee of Sport and celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
In his homily, the Pope reflected on how “unusual” the connection between the Trinity and sport might seem. However, he pointed out that since every good human activity reflects God’s infinite beauty in some way, “sport is certainly one of these.”
Sports, Pope Leo continued, can help us encounter God because they challenge “us to relate to others and with others, not only outwardly but also, and above all, interiorly.” If not, sport becomes “nothing more than an empty competition of inflated egos.”
Sports require giving
At sporting events the Italian word spectators use to cheer on athletes is “dai”, which literally means “to give”. The Pope urged everyone to reflect on this. Sports are more than just about physical achievements, he argued. They require athletes to give of themselves for others – “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.”
As Pope St John Paul II, an athlete himself, said, “Sport is joy of life, a game, a celebration. It must be fostered by “by recovering its sheer gratuity, its ability to forge bonds of friendship, to encourage dialogue and openness towards others.”
Solitude, digital and competitive society
Pope Leo then suggested three things that make sport a good way of developing human and Christian values: solitude, digital society, and competitive society.
First, solitude overwhelmingly marks our society as the emphasis has shifted from “us” to “me”. This has led to a decreasing concern for others. Yet, sports may offer a solution to this deficit. The Pope highlighted how sports teach the value of working together and sharing.
Consequently, sports can “become an important means of reconciliation and encounter: between peoples and within communities, schools, workplaces and families.”
Turning to the ever-growing digital society we face each day, Pope Leo stressed that sports can help counter the effects of technology that can divide people. They offer an alternative to virtual worlds and help “preserve a healthy contact with nature and with real life, where genuine love is experienced.”
The third aspect is the competitive society, which seems to only champion the strong. Sports, on the other hand, can teach us how to lose. They force us to “confront one of the deepest truths of our human condition: our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections.” This is essential as it is through these experiences that our hearts open to hope.
Pope Leo tore down the idea that athletes who never lose or make mistakes exist. “Champions are not perfectly functioning machines, but real men and women, who, when they fall, find the courage to get back on their feet”, he explained.
“No one is born a champion”
Pope John Paul II was not the only saint to be an athlete. Sports have played an important role in the lives of numerous modern-day saints: “both as a personal discipline and as a means of evangelization.”
Pope Leo remembered Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the patron saint of athletes, who will be canonized on Sep 7 this year. He pointed out that Frassati’s life shows us that “no one is born a champion, no one is born a saint.” It is a daily training and takes us one step closer to our final championship.
Closing, Pope Leo XIV challenged the athletes present with a mission: “to reflect in all your activities the love of the Triune God, for your own good and for that of your brothers and sisters.” Urging them to entrust themselves to Mary, who will help guide them towards the “greatest victory of all: the prize of eternal life.” – Vatican News
