On June 14th much of the world will stop and begin the great celebration of the 2018 World Cup. It will be a time of celebration and anguish. A time of joyously coming together in the playing of the beautiful game.
Normally at the World Cup I have several rooting interests to follow but this year my option is down to one. The United States National Team was awful in qualifying and did not make the tournament. One down two to go. Ghana, my second team, was equally bad in qualifying and did not qualify. Two down and one to go. Luckily, I also root for Germany, as the current holders of the Cup they are going to be playing football (soccer) for the next month with the great possibility Der Mannschaft winning the World Cup back to back.
During the first fourteen days I will be awaking between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. to watch a game as the group stages play there way out. It is a time to see star players wear their national jersey as they play with passion and hope. But what about the Catholic aspect you may be wondering? During this time when the game is at the forefront of the lives of so many we may want to focus on four saints: Saint Sebastian, the patron of athletes, Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati the patron saint of sports, St. Luigi Scrisoppi one of the patrons of soccer and funny enough, St. John Paul II, the patron saint of goalkeepers. (the internet can be wonderful at times)
You may want to point out these four saints to those obsessed by the game as a way of reconnecting us to God’s plan for sport.
Pope St. John Paul II talked a lot about sports, “Sports contribute to the love of life, teaches sacrifice, respect and responsibility, leading to the full development of every human person.” The gift of sports can help young men and women grow in many virtues when these virtues are tied to a belief in God and the athletic talents are seen as gifts to be used, shared and celebrated not simply as dominance over another but the expression of God’s beauty and grace is competition which brings out the best of the other.
“Playing sport has become very important today, since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity.” (JPII) Sadly, sport can also divide and take such a high priority in the life of the family that time together and growth in love can be sacrificed. It can build great values when it is balanced against the greater goods of life. Loyalty to a team or teammates when it takes precedence to family time and faith can be corrosive and feed the ego rather than build true solidarity with family and friends.
“Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love.” (JPII) I know in my teens and twenties I sometimes allowed my competitive nature to become unbalance and peace and unity was not where I wanted to go. But I also remember the 1994 WC when the Brazilian national team took over Los Gatos and even when they eliminated the United States, the celebration of friendship was truly joyous…friends were made and beers were exchanged even during the heat of the battle. St. John Paul II shares with us these words of wisdom, “The correct practice of sport must be accompanied by practicing the virtues of temperance and sacrifice; frequently it also requires a good team spirit, respectful attitudes, the appreciation of the qualities of others, honesty in the game and humility to recognize one’s own limitations.  In short, sports, especially in less competitive forms, foster festive celebration and friendly coexistence with the Christian outlook, becomes a “generative principle” of profound human relations and encourages the building of a more serene and supportive world.” (JPII)

Ultimately the game is just a game. With lessening heartache I can even watch the Giants win every now and then and not get too riled up. Sharing the joy of the game is so much more important when we see the gift coming from a source of joy and peace which is our Heavenly Father as we laugh and cry with friend and foe in celebration of sport and the game we love. Therefore “Give thanks to God for the gift of sport, in which the human person exercises his body, intellect and will, recognizing these abilities as so many gifts of his Creator.” (JPII)
God Bless
Fr. Mark