Pope Leo XIV proposes sport as a means to “find God Trinidad”

Pope Leo XIV proposed the practice of team sport as a means to “find” the Trinity in the world and pointed out that God “is not static” and “is not closed in itself.”

“Sport can help us find God Trinidad: because it requires a movement of the self towards the other, certainly exterior, but also and above all interior. Without this, it is reduced to a sterile competition of selfishness,” said the pontiff in a vibrant basilica of San Pedro Colmada of athletes, athletes, coaches and pilgrims who traveled to Rome on the occasion of the jubilee of the sport.

The Trinidad -porte binomial is not “absurd”

In the mass that he presided over the solemnity of the Blessed Trinity, which coincided precisely with this appointment scheduled in the Jubileo de la Esperanza, he acknowledged that the “Trinity-Deport Binomial is not exactly common.” In any case, he made it clear that it is not an “absurd” association.

“Every good human activity carries with it a reflection of the beauty of God, and without a doubt the sport is one of them,” he said in the homily that surprised by his theological wealth.

Leo XIV described the trinity as a “dance of reciprocal love”, citing the notion of pericoresisthe theological term that describes the intimate, dynamic and mutual relationship between the three people of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is one of the central concepts of Christian Trinitarian theology, especially in the Greek patristic tradition.

To explain it, the Pope spoke of the “divine dynamism where life springs” and turned to the image of the God playinga God who “plays”, who is pleased in creation. Thus he said: “We have been created by a God who is pleased and rejoices to give existence to his creatures.”

“Give it!”: The imperative of donating to the other

The Pope cited in his homily a popular expression in Italy used to encourage athletes “Dai!”, Which translates into Spanish as “Give him!”

“It is a beautiful imperative,” he explained. “It is the imperative of the verb ‘give’.”

In this way, he explained that it is about “surrendering for others, for their own growth, by fans, by coaches, even for the adversaries.” Something that “is worth independently of the result.”

In this context, Leo XIV evoked the words of St. John Paul II, who spoke of Jesus as “the true athlete of God” and described the sport as “joy of living” a “game” and a “party.”

The Pope speaks of the values ​​of sport, provided that the logic of performance and utilitarianism is released, and recovers its free, relational and formative dimension. To do this, he articulated his homily around three major contributions that sports can offer to contemporary society.

First, he pointed out that in a world injured by individualism and loneliness, sport, especially if practiced as a team, “teaches the courage to walk together, to collaborate, share.” According to the Pope, this makes it “an instrument of meeting and reconciliation” in schools, communities, workplaces and families.

He also said that in the face of an increasingly digital and virtual culture, sport “values ​​the concretion of being together, of effort, real time” and means “an antidote” against technological evasion.

Pedagogy of defeat

Third, he emphasized that in a competitive society that idolizes the victors, sport teaches us to lose. “It reminds us of our fragility,” said Leo XIV, “our limit. The champion is not an infallible machine, but someone who knows how to get up after falling. It is from this experience that we open to hope.”

The Pope did not miss the opportunity to highlight the role of sport in the spiritual life of many modern saints. He remembered the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati – patron of the athletes, who will be canonized on September 7, along with Carlo Acutis. “His life, simple and luminous, reminds us that, just as no one is born champion, nor is anyone holy. It is the daily training of love that brings us closer to the definitive victory,” he said.

Sport, “spiritual elevation” form

He also cited San Pablo VI, who in 1965 recognized how sport had helped rebuild hope in Europe after World War II. When his words mention, he pointed out that it can be a “very useful instrument for spiritual elevation”, an “indispensable condition of an orderly, serene and constructive society.”

Leo XIV also launched a direct call to athletes in which he invited them to commit to society: “The Church entrusts them with a wonderful mission: to be a reflection of the love of God Trinidad in their activities.”

Citing an image of the Gospel very dear to Pope Francis – that of Mary who “runs” to the meeting of her cousin Isabel -, Leo XIV asked the Virgin to also accompany athletes “to the greatest victory: that of eternity, the ‘infinite field’ where the game will not have an end and the joy will be full.”

Due to the high temperatures in Rome, the celebration has been carried out inside the Basilica of San Pedro and not in the Vatican Square. At the end of the solemn ceremony, the Pontiff traveled in Papamóvil the Plaza de San Pedro to greet and bless the faithful who, despite the heat, did not want to miss the opportunity to greet him closely.

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