"The Olympics inspire and showcase true human excellence: rigorous
discipline, united patriotism, and even, though otherwise unpopular in
contemporary culture, judgement - right judgment against an
objective standard, striving to signify with the beautiful precision of
numbers exactly how unequal performances are.
"What is more, as St. Paul testifies,
athletic events can motivate us toward supernatural virtue as well as
natural: 'Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but
only one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it.' The prize
he means, of course, is heaven itself. St. Paul advises us, like
athletes, to practice self-control, to pommel and subdue our bodies, so
that we might avoid disqualification and attain our victory wreaths
through lives of Christian charity.
"In other words, we ought to allow the
examples of great sportsmen and women to inform our spiritual lives! And
in this year's Olympics, there are several athletes who can provide us
with spiritual lesson.s"
In a recent commentary, writer Erin Kamprath reflected on spiritual lessons exemplified by Olympic athletes (including Red Gerard, Chloe Kim, Alex and Maia Shibutani, Chris and Alexa Knierim, and
Simon Kreuge.
To access her complete post, please visit:
Aleteia: Erin Kamprath: 7 Olympic athletes teaching us spiritual lessons (23 FEB 18)
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