Another season of high school, grade school, college, and professional sports has begun. These can invite us to reflect upon ways that we participate in sports as players or watch as spectators.
In Colossians 3:17, it says “Whatever we do in word or deed, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God, the Father though him.”
When Pope John II became pope, he installed a swimming pool at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence. He responded to those who criticized its cost by saying that it was cheaper than paying for a new conclave. He also skied. Doctors think that he recovered from an assassin’s wounds quickly because of vibrant health nourished by sports. Through sports and exercise, he showed us ways to care for our bodies, which God created. If he is canonized, he could join St. Sebastian as patron saint of athletes.