"This Is My Body, Which Will Be Given Up For You"

The following is adapted from my book “Living the Eucharist Through Sports.”

“This is my body, which will be given up for you.”

These are arguably the most important words ever spoken in the history of the world. Jesus made this remarkable announcement at the Last Supper—and repeats it at every Mass—that our sins are forgiven through the sacrifice of his body and blood, which in turn become the food and drink that give us eternal life. The Son of God took on a human body for the primary purpose of surrendering it entirely for our sake, so that we could be restored to the divine image in which we, in our bodies, were created.

“This is my body, which will be given up for you,” is also the motto of everyone who participates in athletic competition. When athletes commit to a sport they make this pledge, whether or not they consciously realize it, to their teammates, coaches, fans, and even opponents: “This is my body, which will be given up for you.” An athlete sacrifices his or her body and all that dwells within—mind, spirit and will—for the good of someone and something beyond themselves. As members of the Body of Christ, Christian athletes make this sacrifice not only in imitation of Christ, but truly in him and through him as branches of his vine.

It should come as no surprise that in a religion centered upon God incarnate—God in a human body like our own—athletics can and should be a vital component of faith formation and apostolate. Christianity is indeed a very physical religion; it all began with Jesus and his tremendous athleticism.

Think about it. Our salvation could only have been achieved through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Consider the great physical strength that was involved in our saving event. To withstand the scourging at the pillar and the crowning with thorns, to carry the heavy cross through the streets of Jerusalem and up the hill to Calvary, to endure the torture of crucifixion—none of this could have been achieved without the athleticism of Jesus, whose body, mind, spirit, and will were so united and focused that he was able to sacrifice all.

Athletic prowess was crucial to Jesus’ ministry. He climbed mountains, rowed boats, and traveled extensively, mainly by walking, expecting his disciples to adhere to challenging physical conditions as they performed their work.

Realizing that the human body is a sacramental reality—created to make visible the invisible mystery of God—any activity that strengthens our bodies and improves our physical health serves as a living sign of God, who reveals himself through the human body. Sports, when participated in properly, can serve this function.

Does this mean that it is critically important to God who wins an athletic competition? Probably not. Is it critically important to God that his people learn how to work together as one body, learn to sacrifice and discipline for the good of others, better the health of our bodies which are temples of the spirit, and build community through whatever means human ingenuity can create? Of course. Sports, when engaged in properly with the right ideals and goals, accomplishes all of this. And when it is accomplished through a people of faith, it is accomplished in and through Jesus Christ.

If Christ’s people can do all of this without consciously realizing it, imagine how much more could be accomplished once this comes to mind! The power of Christian athletes to use their sports not only as an avocation, but also truly as a vocation, is immeasurable.

Coming to this realization, however, involves overcoming some cultural obstacles. For one, sports have often been considered a somewhat trivial element of our society; athletes who bring faith to their games have been accused of trivializing religion. Yet when we truly understand how limitless is God’s love for us, it becomes clear that there is no such thing as an activity too “trivial” for God not to be interested and involved. God cares deeply about every aspect of our lives, and he wants to be included in our every activity. God can be found on an athletic field just as he can be found anywhere else—there is no place we ca

nnot encounter him. Why then can God be difficult to recognize in our so-called “insignificant” moments?

Perhaps it is because we tend to downplay sports and recreation as merely a break from the seemingly more important business of life, with no real transcendent value. Yet recreation means “re-creation,” when God uses activities outside our usual routine to build us back into the body he created us to be. Former baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti observed that leisure is, “in Christian terms, a moment of contemplation…. Contemplation is the result not of work but of an activity freely assumed whose goal is to so perfect the self that for a moment we see what lies beyond the self…”

Our relationship with God is not (or should not be) forced upon us, but freely chosen. Why not use our athletic and recreational activities—also freely chosen—as an opportunity to explore the depths of that relationship? Sports provide us with a ripe opportunity to do so.

Another obstacle to realizing the formational value of sports is that in recent years sports have been maligned due to genuine problems in athletic culture. Substance abuse, violence, cheating, academic shortcuts, commercialism and emphasis on victory at all costs have tainted the reputation of sports in general. Such a pessimistic out look is not new. Even St. Augustine in his famous Confessions expressed regret at his own involvement in sports: “As a boy I played ball games, and that play slowed down the speed at which I learnt letters…. I was disobedient not because I had chosen higher things, but from love of sport.” He added, “In competitive games I loved the pride of winning…. Look with mercy on these follies, Lord, and deliver us who now call upon you.”

But as with anything else God gave us to use responsibly, the abuse of sport can sometimes appear to become the norm, tarnishing its true identity. Athletics at their heart are a tremendous good, from which humanity can derive even greater good when exercised properly and promoted as an avenue for God’s grace.

“This is my body, which will be given up for you” should be the mantra of every Christian athlete at every level of competition—from professional to recreation league to “weekend warrior.” As Jesus taught when people scoffed at the widow’s mite, every sincere sacrifice—whatever the nature or the amount—is a valuable contribution to the Kingdom of God.