Let the Games Begin

In the spirit of the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics, I present these excerpts from my book Living the Eucharist Through Sports:

The Olympic oath states: “In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true nature of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.” It seems to paraphrase what we say when we make our gesture of oath, the Sign of the Cross: “In the name of the community to which I am bound—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—I promise that I shall take part in the life of the body of Christ, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern it, in the true nature of fellowship, for the glory of God and the honor of him and his people.”…

The Olympics have a formal Creed, which is displayed on the scoreboard of the stadium during the opening ceremonies: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” The Creed we recite together at Mass has a similar theme. We don’t need to “win” or to “conquer” our opponents—sin and death—for Jesus has done so already through his victory on the Cross.

Let the Games begin!