Our life of faith also needs to go through the whole process of spiritual conditioning
In a football match, the corner is used to restart a match. During a soccer match, there are many times when it is necessary to restart the game. And in our spiritual life? When do I need to restart the walk? When do I need to start over? When do we need to break with sin?

Illustrative photo: Wesley Almeida / cancaonova.com
In the game of life, we seek victory over sin. We run, we sweat, we dribble the adversary and want, together with our brothers, to be the champions in the team of sanctity. But we can not always achieve the trophy of life over death. Often we are unprepared. We lack more intensive training so that we can enter the field and overcome the forces of evil. Every player goes through this process: before entering the field for a soccer match, he undergoes rigorous

training: he studies the opponent’s tactics, rehearses moves and seeks a favorable physical conditioning in the field. Without this rigorous training, victory is virtually impossible to achieve.
Some rules to win
Our life of faith also has to go through the whole process of spiritual conditioning to put the sin of a corner and restart a new move in favor of holiness. For our performance in the field of life to be favorable, some rules to win are fundamental:
1) Prayer life: dribble against laziness with your willpower and discipline, invest in daily moments of prayer. Make them your victory against discouragement. Be the top scorer of the championship of life and score many goals against sin!
2) Cultivate patience: if you missed the move or something stole your peace, if you scored a goal in favor of sin, do not be discouraged! Win the game for the fight of holiness with faith! Be persistent in seeking victory and win again. Always look for the main purpose of your field in life. Your goal is to be holy, but be assured that to be a saint you must first learn to be human. For this reason, make it a goal to act against the lack of patience with yourself.
3) Have friends who pursue the same goals as you. Unity is strength, and true friends lead us to the ways of God. In the field of life, only the team that learns to share the bids and play in union will be victorious. Join your friends and make a barrier against sin. Alone, we can do nothing; but when we share the difficulties, no play of sin can overcome our barriers.

4) Enjoy your time well: avoid making fouls, as many of them can cause a penalty. This way, you are more likely to take a goal without need! Play with wisdom and confidence, but without being aggressive. Make time your friend to achieve victory. Whoever wins a game only by faults . . . his plays against sin have no strength, but feed them even more.
5) Put  sin of a corner: restart a new match in the field of faith whenever you need it. In the game of holiness against sin, we always have the opportunity to start over. There is no need to force a yellow card before the opponent. Be the champion of love, the keeper of hope and the coach of wisdom in victory against sin!

Father Flávio Sobreiro

Fr. Flávio Sobreiro is a parish vicar of the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, in Santa Rita do Sapucaí Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a priest of the Archdiocese of Pouso Alegre. He is the author of the book “Amor Sem Fronteiras” [Love With Borders] by Editora Canção Nova. To know more about Fr. Sobreiro

and follow other reflections, go to: facebook.com/peflaviosobreiro