Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of sports, which provide joy for athletes, coaches, parents and fans through so many different experiences. Thank you for the opportunity to exercise our minds and bodies in the pursuit of excellence, no matter our age or ability. Thank you for the way that sports draw together men and women across our world to share in competition, teamwork and fun.
We pray today that we may have the graces to understand sports through the lens of our faith. That we may understand that while it is “just a game”, it can also be so much more than that when offered back to You.
Grant that for athletes of all ages, sports may be an activity that builds fortitude; that by working toward a goal we may strengthen our courage and build unshakable trust that with God we can do all things.
Grant that in both victory and in defeat we may all learn something about ourselves and become more the person that God created us to be.
Grant that sports may help us to grow in hope. That through our belief in the improbable on the fields or courts, we may also grow in our belief in a God with whom hope in our daily struggles is never lost.
Grant that from our youngest to our oldest, sports may be something that brings our communities together, that forms bonds between individuals and families and strengthens relationships.
Father, help us to see that you created all things for good and to recognize the ways in which sports can indeed manifest that good. May we use sports as a way to draw closer to you and may you give us the graces we need to do so.
Amen.
