Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota argued on one of the most influential news networks in the country and during the most significant sporting event in the world that it is important to give God the glory in sports by abstaining from competition on Sundays, which he called the Sabbath. This was the message he delivered on nationwide television during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, August 11, 2024, as the Olympic competitions were coming to an end.
The Catholic Church is now advocating their Sunday rest message during media interviews and is calling for the need to respect God in sports by urging for a return to the tradition of keeping Sundays free from organized games and competitions. And as always, the media has become the spokesperson for the church, giving Rome access to a far wider audience and platform to spread their Sunday message to a wider public.
Fox News published the following:
• “Bishop Robert Barron offered the example of Scottish Olympian Eric Liddell as proof that achieving athletic excellence should be about ultimately giving glory to God.” [1]
• “In light of the ongoing Paris Summer Olympics, Barron spoke to Fox News Digital about Liddell, the Scottish gold medalist whose choice to forego a surefire gold medal win in honor of the Sabbath – and his subsequent gold medal win in the 400-meter race in the 1924 games – was immortalized in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” [1]
• “Liddell’s powerful story in the 1924 Olympic Games, also held in Paris that year, is memorable not only because of his supreme running ability, but because of how he displayed his deep Christian faith. Thanks to his talent, Liddell was considered a shoo-in for the gold medal in the 100-meter dash but declined to race because it fell on a Sunday, the Sabbath. ” [1]
• “Instead, Liddell opted for a race on a later date that he was supposedly less adept at, the 400-meter, though he won the gold, reaching the finish line a full meter ahead of the silver-medalist and beating the previous 400-meter world record, a moment powerfully depicted in the 1981 film.” [1]
• “He also told Fox that the attitude people should have about sports, like any other earthly pursuit, is that it should be done for God’s glory.” [1]
Whether it’s a car-free Sunday, a work-free Sunday, or a sports-free Sunday, it all works the same. The Catholic prelate’s message to the sports world is to set aside Sunday as a day free from scheduled sporting events, placing an emphasis on rest, spiritual reflection, and family time instead of the usual activities tied to competitive sports. Sunday is being referred to as the Sabbath on national television because, despite the lack of biblical evidence, Rome regards it as the holy day for rest and worship.
Observing a sports-free Sunday aligns with the belief that this day should be dedicated to Eucharistic worship, and by promoting no sports on this day, the Catholic Church aims to preserve the sanctity of Sunday as the official day of rest.
“When our nation shall so abjure the principles of its government as to enact a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands with popery; it will be nothing else than giving life to the tyranny which has long been eagerly watching its opportunity to spring again into active despotism” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 711).
“If popery or its principles shall again be legislated into power, the fires of persecution will be rekindled against those who will not sacrifice conscience and the truth in deference to popular errors. This evil is on the point of realization” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 712).
“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul, and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of Spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience” (Great Controversy, p. 588).
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Whenever the Catholic Representative’s say “God” I’ve often assumed that they really mean “the Pope”,
nowhere in the Bible is Sunday uplifted as anything other then a normal work day.
“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” John 15:9
“The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Exodus 20:10.