By Fr. Cayo Estrada
University Chaplain
This article was a homily delivered during the Mass for athletes before the pep rally, September 11, 2026, at the Sancta Maria, Stella Orientis Oratory.
Good afternoon to everyone.
I greet all the varsity players of UA&P who are present here. This mass is being celebrated on the occasion of the pep rally to usher in a new season of competition.
The first reading of today’s Mass, from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, is quite fitting for the occasion.
He writes, “All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither. That is how I run, intent on winning; that is how I fight, not beating the air. I treat my body hard and make it obey me, for, having been an announcer myself, I should not want to be disqualified.”
I would like that we reflect on St. Paul’s words which are applicable not only to sports, but also to life.
Before anything else, I would like to say that I also am a fellow athlete. I was in the varsity track and field team for one year in high school and two years in college. In high school, I ran the 1,500- and 3,000-meter races. In college, I ran the 1,500- and 5,000 meter races. Me and my other teammates running the long-distance races would also regularly run 20 km for training, as well as a mix of other distance runs. I can identify with you athletes and what I will say comes from my experience of competing.
“You must run...meaning to win.” We have to have the attitude of a winner. We may not win all the time, but we should want to win. Anyone who enters competition with the fear of losing won’t cut it. However, we should not be out to win at all costs. We need to compete honestly and gentlemanly, with great respect for our competitors. We are sportsmen who see the need to live virtue.
Life, too, requires a winner’s attitude. We should want to win heaven, our final goal. God has given us this capacity to be holy and we should treat life like a race towards our heavenly goal. This is the “wreath that will never wither”.
“That is how I fight, not beating the air.” Athletes need a strategy, not only in team sports, but also in individual sports. In a team, they need to coordinate with their teammates in order to put a play into effect. Runners need to plan out their race. Players have to plan their game.
In life, we have a clear goal, namely, heaven, holiness. We should live our lives with that goal in mind and never lose sight of it during our day. We ought to have a strategy, which means planning how we will grow in virtue and remove our defects.
“I treat my body hard and make it obey me.” Athletes train for their sport and that requires sacrificing the time they would have spent doing other things. An athlete cannot live a comfortable life. He or she will need to sacrifice for the sake of the game and their teammates. This requires discipline.
Reaching for heaven requires sacrificing what will prevent us from coming closer to God each day. One needs to sacrifice to overcome temptations. We need to sacrifice to help others.
Remember the advice of St. Paul as you train and compete. Have it in mind also as you live through the day. Don’t lose sight of the “wreath that will never wither”, that is union with God in heaven. Do everything for God’s glory.