Entertainment and Sport
1. It is wrong to imagine that Christianity is a sad and gloomy
religion. Quite otherwise, it is the religion of joy, of the real joy,
that is, which comes from God, from the serenity of a sound conscience
and from the hope and sure expectation of the immeasurable happiness of
heaven after the trials of this world are over. Other pleasures are
passing and often leave behind
disillusionment, boredom and remorse. The happiness of living a sincere
Christian life does not vanish even in the midst of suffering, for it
bestows an inner peace which nothing else can give. “The kingdom of
God,” says St. Paul, “does not consist in food and drink, but in justice
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Rom. 14:17) “The fruit of the
Spirit,” he says in his letter to the Galatians, “is charity, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness...” (Gal. 5:22) St. John the
Apostle, writing to the faithful of his time, encourages them to be
joyful with the joy which comes from Jesus Christ. “These things we
write to you that you may rejoice, and our joy may be full.” (1 John
1:4) It is not contrary to Christian teaching to indulge in lawful
recreation and amusement. If a bow is drawn too tight, it snaps. Our
physical constitution demands that after our work we should rest.
Resting does not mean idleness and inactivity, but suitable recreation
and entertainment. God Himself set aside six days for working and one
for repose. This day of solemn repose, however, should be dedicated in a
particular way to God by the fulfilment of the obligations which the
Church prescribes. But there is no question of our being forbidden to
refresh ourselves mentally and physically on this day by suitable
entertainment.
2. Sport and amusement are particularly
necessary for youth. Young people are full of life, and their exuberance
must have an outlet. It is true that there are privileged souls, such
as St. Aloysius Gonzaga and St. Dominic Savio, whose natural exuberance
is completely channelled into the love of God and of their neighbour.
But such people are rare. Normally, young people need entertainment and
sport. Sport has made tremendous progress today. Far from being evil,
this is an excellent development. If these forces of vitality were not
diverted into athletic activities, they would probably find an outlet in
other more dangerous pursuits. However, as our late Holy Father, Pius
XII, often explained in his audiences for sportsmen, it is necessary
that bodily exercises should be joined with those which are spiritual.
Just as the body must be trained intensively to succeed in athletic
competitions, so the will must be trained by means of daily sacrifice
and self-denial to achieve victory over our unruly inclinations. This
victory is eventually won by the grace of God and brings a far higher
happiness than athletic conquests could ever give us.
3.
Unfortunately, there are forms of amusement which are not lawful, either
because they are sinful in themselves or because they present a grave
danger to the soul. Certain uninhibited kinds of dancing, for example,
can aim at arousing the basest instincts of the human organism. There
are beaches where the healthy pastime of bathing is made only an excuse
for indecent and exciting exhibitions. There are parties and receptions,
moreover, at which we know well that we shall be subjected to serious
temptation. All such places and occasions should normally be avoided. It
is the wise advice of spiritual writers that we should always aim at
uniting our amusements and recreations to goodness of thought and
conversation. Moreover, we should often detach our minds from our
worldly entertainments and think of the realities of Heaven.
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