June’s Intention:
For the Values of Sports
Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.
Lord of life,
We thank you for the gift of sport,
for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies,
for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team.
You teach us that in life, as in the game,
no one is saved alone.
We need others to grow, to learn respect, to overcome our limits,
and to celebrate together the victories we achieve.
We ask that sport may always be a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry,
a space of encounter, not exclusion,
a path of peace, not violence.
May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport
a universal language that brings cultures together,
unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.
Lord Jesus,
may every sport become a parable of life lived with you,
working with joy and effort, living with humility in defeat
and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection.
May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team,
united with you to build communion and fraternity in history.
Amen.
What It Means to Be Great
A Reflection by Fr. Robert Hagan, O.S.A.
When Pope Leo XIV became the universal shepherd for our Church and our world on May 8, 2025, an additional gift was that so many people learned about St. Augustine, the Augustinian Order, and Augustinian values. Pope Leo has done a wonderful job highlighting these values and helping us understand how they apply to all aspects of life, whether we find ourselves in business, healthcare, education, communications, or (in this case) sports. This month, Pope Leo invites us to remember that sports, athletics, teamwork, and competition at any level – from children in the playground to professionals in packed stadiums – can promote growth, respect for one another, good sportsmanship, and unity among all people.
Sports challenge us to push ourselves to be better. They can require hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. St. Augustine sounds like a good coach when he encourages us: “Do not be content with what you are if you want to become what you are not yet. Where you have grown pleased with yourself, there you shall remain. Keep pushing forward.” It is this drive to resist complacency that, with God’s grace, can help us become our better selves.
This attitude of improving mind, body, and spirit requires another virtue of great importance to Augustine: humility. “The higher the structure, the deeper the foundation must be and this foundation is humility,” he says. I can recall numerous occasions when Jay Wright, Villanova University’s Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach, would ask the parents of our student-athletes to stand. He would then thank them for raising sons and daughters who were humble, who were coachable, and who understood that they were not the “star,” but rather were willing to be part of something bigger than themselves. It was this spirit of humility that was put into action when our 2016 National Championship team played a tournament game on Holy Thursday. Each member of the team washed the feet of his teammate. Each manager got his feet washed. Each of those who did the laundry for the team got their feet washed. Each assistant coach and each of their wives got their feet washed. Coach Wright would preach, “Our roles are different, but our status is the same.”
These are the shared values that create unity in our diversity. Augustine describes how a herd of deer crosses a rushing river: Each places its head on the back of the one in front while rotating who serves in the lead. Together, their collective weight and strength steady the entire group to cross to the other side. Sports teach us the value of dependence and how, as Augustine says, “each of us strengthens all of us.” We need each other as iron sharpens iron and as gold is tested through fire – we can help one another become better and stronger. Jesus never told us not to aspire to be great, but he did redefine what greatness truly is: to serve. To serve others, to be concerned about your neighbor’s well-being, to put others ahead of yourself – this is what it means to be great.
Let us compete well, run the race, keep the faith, and continue to serve others with humility and gratitude. With God’s grace: Go be great!
