Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players

12. July 2021 - 10:31

His Holiness received members of the water polo national team of Serbia, participants of the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade on 9 July 2021(photo gallery).

The President of the Water Polo Federation of Serbia Mr. Viktor Jelenic handed over to His Holiness a plaque, while the water polo cap with number two was presented to the Patriarch by the captain of the national team, Mr. Filip Filipovic. The audience was also attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Vanja Udovicic.

The Patriarch told the water polo players that achieving success does not depend only on how good they are, but also on who is on the other side. As he explained, those who are on the other side are not enemies but they participate in games with the spirit of competition who will be better.

Патријарх је ватерполистима поручио да постићи успех не зависи само од тога колико су они добри, него и од тога ко је с друге стране. Како је појаснио, они који су са друге стране нису непријатељи већ учествују у играма уз дух такмичења ко ће бити бољи. 

- The meaning of the competition is to be better than ourselves, and to recognize the other in the victory and that the other, even though he lost, participated in the joy of our victory. The Olympic Games are a struggle for virtue, the Patriarch said, adding that in the Serbian translation of the ancient proverb 'a healthy soul in a healthy body',, where one can think that only when a healthy body is then the soul is healthy, the missing part is that is necessary to pray for a healthy soul in a healthy body.

- That saying in Latin, I will try to remember, reads: Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano. The word prayer is omitted. So we should only pray for a healthy soul in a healthy body. That is the meaning of that saying, that proverb, so we draw the conclusion from that that the goal of the Olympic Games is to build virtue, true and real glory, where what is virtuous is celebrated. That is why I previously said that the one who is conditionally defeated is not someone who is our enemy, but he also participated in creating what is best, what is a virtue, the Patriarch said, who wished success to the water polo players with the message to be better than themselves and with a prayer to God that the result will be the best.

- I wish you success at the Olympic Games - I wish you to be the best, to be better than yourself, and for God to give the result in accordance with that desire. If you do your best, if as a team you are like one organism, it is certain that the result will be true and true satisfaction no matter what it was. May it be with luck and may God welcome you with a medal, with a medal, the Patriarch said.

Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
Patriarch blessed Serbian water polo players
|