In this solo reflection, Paul Ybarra digs into a 2018 Vatican document, Giving the Best of Yourself, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which explores the role of fitness and sports in the Christian life — largely drawing on the “theology of the body” and personal example of Pope St. John Paul II, famously known as the “athlete pope.” Paul makes the case that sports and physical fitness are genuine gifts from God, capable of building virtue, humility, and team-oriented character — but warns that, left unchecked, the same good desire for strength and health can quietly crowd out prayer, family, and the interior life. Drawing on a story about Magic Johnson learning the joy of assisting his teammates, a conversation with a young man preparing for the fire department, and John Paul II’s own words to athletes, Paul lays out a simple but challenging question for every man who loves sports: are you training your body while letting your soul go dry?

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