After enjoying one too many Christmas cookies and mugs of eggnog over the holidays, a lot of us are kicking off the new year with ambitious goals to get our fitness back on track.
As we make our resolutions, we can find inspiration in the story of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes. Conveniently, his feast day falls on January 20, which is perfect timing as he’s just the right saint for this season.
Why St. Sebastian is a great patron saint for health goals
Before his martyrdom, Sebastian served as a captain in the Praetorian Guard. His work required exceptional physical fitness.
Yet he wasn’t just a skilled athlete. St. Sebastian’s physical fitness mirrored his spiritual discipline.
Historical accounts tell us the names of the Christian martyrs whom Sebastian encouraged to stay strong in their faith, and of the converts he brought to Christ despite the threat of death:
He became a soldier in the Roman army at Rome in about 283, and encouraged Marcellian and Marcus, under sentence of death, to remain firm in their faith. Sebastian made numerous converts: among them were the master of the rolls, Nicostratus, who was in charge of prisoners and his wife, Zoe, a deaf mute whom he cured; the jailer Claudius; Chromatius, Prefect of Rome, whom he cured of gout; and Chromatius’ son, Tiburtius. Chromatius set the prisoners free, freed his slaves, and resigned as prefect.
St. Sebastian deeply understood both physical and spiritual health. We can ask for his prayers as we pursue our own health goals. Like him, hopefully our physical efforts help us grow in the virtues we need to be spiritually strong too.
The virtues of St. Sebastian
St. Sebastian’s virtues are great principles to guide all of us this January and beyond:
1Physical strength for others
Getting healthier isn’t just about personal achievement. When we workout, our bodies get the signal that we need more energy, so we find ourselves having more energy.
This boosted energy and strength makes us better able to help others, whether chasing around our grandkids or lifting boxes when a buddy is moving apartments.
Just as St. Sebastian used his athletic abilities to protect and serve others, our fitness gains allow us to better serve our families and communities. Knowing we are doing it for those we love can help us keep going when it gets tough.
2Perseverance
One of the wildest parts of St. Sebastian's story is how he survived his first martyrdom by arrows, making him “the only saint to be martyred twice.”
When it was discovered that he was a Christian who had converted many soldiers, Sebastian was sentenced to be killed by arrows. The archers left him for dead, but a Christian widow who came to bury his body found him still alive, but barely. She undid his bonds and took him away to be nursed back to health.
After he regained his strength, he chose to confront the emperor again, knowing it meant certain death. It’s not a stretch to assume that his long practice in steeling his will to build physical strength prepared him for his final perseverance to stand strong for his faith.
How to ask St. Sebastian’s help
How can we take inspiration from St. Sebastian in our daily lives? Here are a few practical ways we can follow his example.
- Pray before a workout, perhaps choosing a specific prayer intention for which to offer it up
- Ask friends from church to join you at the gym or on a walk, building community around both fitness and faith
- Choose exercises that build functional strength, making it easier to serve others with energy
- Incorporate prayer into your exercise when you can, such as listening to a Hallow meditation while you go for a run, or praying the Rosary while you walk the track
- Ask St. Sebastian to pray for you: Prayer can strengthen our resolve to do hard things
St. Sebastian is an amazing example of a strong body and soul, and it turns out these things can be closely connected. Modern research finds that regular exercise improves mental clarity, emotional stability, and stress management. These effects can help us be better Christians too.
This January and into 2025, we can look to St. Sebastian to see how fitness resolutions can strengthen both our bodies and souls. His feast day is a timely reminder that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, worthy of care and dedication.
Taking care of our physical health also improves our mental and spiritual health, helping us to be the saints that God made us to be. Just like St. Sebastian.
