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Whats
wrong with sports? Dont they teach us fair play?
genuine Christian life does
nothing but represent Gods love to the world.
And I mean that literally: as God presents his love to us, we in turn must
re-present it to the world.
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Finally, all
of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate,
humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary,
a blessing. . . . |
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1 Peter 3:8-9a |
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Now, you simply cannot present
love to the world through strife and
competition.
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Love is patient,
love is kind. It is not jealous; [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered,
it does not brood over injury. . . . |
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1 Corinthians 13:4-5 |
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In todays world, sports have
become a ubiquitous cultural institution, and so, on the surface, it may
seem that sports are all for fun and that they teach fair
play. Nevertheless, their underlying values derive from the ancient
Greek pagan adoration of strength, prowess, and human glory. When parents
kill each other over arguments about childrens sports, you know something
is seriously wrong; so just imagine the corruptionnot to mention organized
crimeunderlying professional and amateur sports. Do you think you will
find in sports any hint of holiness? Any hint of
humility? Our cultural adoration of sports teaches
us to put our trust in power, mastery, and competitive strategyand
to kill, whip, trounce, or trample anyone who gets in our way. And all of
this sportsman frenzy stands completely opposed to Christian
values:
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Let us never
be boastful, or challenging, or jealous toward one another. Help carry one
anothers burdens; in that way you will fulfill the law of
Christ. |
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Galatians 5:26; 6:2 |
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Saint Paul, moreover, who clearly
understood the truth about Christian life, had no use for puffing up his
ego by boasting about a favorite sports team:
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I will rather
boast more gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may
dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak,
then I am strong. |
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2 Corinthians 12:9b-10 |
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Now Saint Paul, in his merciful
attempt to become all things to all (1 Corinthians 9:22) for
the sake of preaching the gospel, often used the metaphor of running
the race (1 Corinthians 9:2427; Hebrews 12:1) to illustrate
the virtues of discipline and perseverance in grace. But if you read his
words carefully you will realize that, in contrast to the vain, perishable
prize of human glory sought by athletes, he sought the eternal, unperishable
crown of Gods glory.
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If morality requires
respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value.
It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote a cult of the body,
to sacrifice everything for its sake, to idolize physical perfection and
success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak,
such a conception can lead to the perversion of human
relationships. |
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Catechism of the Catholic
Church (2289) |
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The truth is, if you learn to
love others as God loves us, it will simply break your heart to compete with
anyone for any reason. And until you do learn this
love, and as long as you cling to the
illusions of your own athletic prowess, you
will be like the rich man who walked away from Christ. Whereas Christ demanded
self-sacrifice, the rich man wanted to go for
the gold.
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Jesus in most appropriate language
treated . . . of trade and commerce with foreign nations,
taking occasion at the same time to censure severely the various fashions
and frivolities lately introduced from Athens. He condemned likewise the
games and juggling now in use among them, and which were also spreading
throughout Nazareth and other places. These games were likewise a product
of their intercourse with Athens. Jesus stigmatized them as unpardonable
since they that indulge in them look upon them as no sin; consequently, they
do no penance for them, and therefore they cannot be pardoned. |
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The Life of Jesus
Christ
as told by the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich |
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