Athletes go through a rigorous training regime in order to achieve their goal of winning a medal in the Olympic games. Our goal is much higher: eternal life with God in heaven. We too need a training regime. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, especially of St Paul, and of saints like Augustine, Bernard and Josemaria, to consider how, like athletes, we need:

• A goal
• Determination to reach the goal
• Sacrifice and self-control
• A training program: a plan of life
• A coach: a spiritual director
• Ability to keep going when we encounter failures and disappointments
• Someone to heal our injuries: a priest
• Effort to follow the rules: the moral law
• Time-outs to rest and reconsider our plan: retreats and recollections
• Determination to finish the face and receive the prize