"'I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly' ( Jn 10:10). These words of Jesus help us to understand the Church’s interest in sport and the manner in which Christians approach it."
This is Pope Leo's reflection in a new letter on the "value of sport," released February 6, as the Winter Olympics are set to open.
The letter considers the history of sport, from Scripture (St. Paul used sports analogies a handful of times) through Christian engagement with the topic, such as medieval theologians like Saint Thomas Aquinas, who defended rest and play as part of a virtuous life, to modern educators such as Saint John Bosco, who used sport to accompany young people, especially the poor.
Sport, he noted, has long been a space where education, community, and faith intersect.
Leo also looks at modern studies, drawing on (as we would expect from a tennis-lover) the example of a tennis match:
Some social science scholars can help us better understand the human and cultural significance of sport and, consequently, its spiritual significance. A relevant example is research on the so-called “flow experience” in sport and other areas of culture. [16] This experience typically occurs among people engaged in an activity that requires concentration and skill, when the level of challenge matches or slightly exceeds their already acquired level. Consider, for example, a prolonged rally in tennis: the reason this is one of the most enjoyable parts of a match is that each player pushes the other to the limit of his or her skill level. The experience is exhilarating, and the two players challenge each other to improve; this is as true for two ten-year-olds as it is for two professional champions.
The letter is an overview of the Church's long interest in sports, centered on the Church's understanding of the human person.
Through the voice of the popes, the Catholic Church proposed a vision of sport centered on the dignity of the human person, on his or her integral development, on education and on relationships with others, highlighting its universal value as a means of promoting values such as fraternity, solidarity and peace.
But Leo also takes up various threats to an adequate use of sports and its values, and even the use of sports in video games.
Among these threats is the problem of sports being reduced to profit and power, and, the Holy Father points out:
At the same time, it is not uncommon for sport to be invested with a quasi-religious dimension. Stadiums are perceived as secular cathedrals, matches as collective liturgies and athletes as saviors. This sacralization reveals an authentic need for meaning and communion, but risks stripping both sport and the spiritual dimension of their essence. When sport claims to replace religion, it loses its character as a game that benefits our lives, becoming instead aggrandized, all-encompassing and absolute.
The letter offers a thorough reflection on sports from a historical and current perspective, and with the Olympics and the Super Bowl on the calendar, especially timely insights for all to consider.