Matt Baker

From Father Brian D’Arcy, a Catholic Passionist priest:

The Rugby World Cup is well and truly under way and it’s a fabulous celebration of passion, culture and rivalry.

Sport is such an integral part of life now that it’s hard to avoid being sucked into the euphoria. On days like these, whole nations can celebrate victories and then suffer the pain of defeat. Those of us, long past our best, voice opinions as if we were experts, confident that we will NEVER be asked to perform.

On the other hand, according to investigative journalism, some sports have become tarnished by indiscipline, overpaid players and, worst of all, we can’t always be sure of the extent performances have been enhanced by unfair methods.

Despite everything I love sport and sporting people; it reflects life. Discipline, planning, coping with both success and failure, working as a team, focusing on getting over the finish line, are equally important in life and on the playing fields. Sport has the ability to inspire and to unite people in a way little else can. As President Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It speaks to people in a language they understand.”

We often forget though that every game has winners and losers. No-one has a God given right to win all the time.

We eventually come to know that true success is doing your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. Victory is based on many attributes – skill, teamwork, control, hard work - and luck!

We may think that success is getting what you want; happiness however, comes about when you learn to want what you get.

Two thousand years ago St Paul wrote to the sports mad Corinthians, “In a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize, so run to win.” He assured them, and us, that “run to win” means “do your very best” and applies to all of life’s challenges, especially the spiritual life. Whether we win or lose we’re never a failure until we stop trying.