EWTN News portal reports on Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe, who broke the two-hour barrier at the 2026 London Marathon. The article highlights his “strong Catholic roots,” noting that he attended Mass before the race, asking for prayers, and that he “never misses Mass.” It quotes a parish official praising Sawe’s generosity to church projects and framing him as a role model for youth. On the surface, this appears to be a heartwarming story of faith and success. However, from the perspective of integral Catholic faith, this article reveals a profound theological and spiritual bankruptcy, reducing the supernatural life of grace to a mere accessory of worldly achievement and ignoring the absolute primacy of God’s glory over human glory.
The Reduction of the Mass to a Talisman for Worldly Success
The central thesis of the article is not the sanctification of the athlete, but the instrumentalization of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a means to secure victory in a sporting event. The narrative structure is telling: Sawe attends Mass, asks for prayers, and then goes on to win a world record. This implicitly frames the Mass—the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary—as a kind of good-luck charm or spiritual fuel for athletic performance. This is a grave distortion of Catholic doctrine.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches that the Mass is offered for four ends: adoration, thanksgiving, propitiation, and petition. While petition is a valid end, it is always subordinate to the primary end of giving glory to God. To attend Mass primarily to ask for a worldly victory—especially when the article emphasizes his record win as the direct consequence—is to commit the sin of treating the sacred as a tool for the profane. It reduces the infinite worth of the Eucharistic Sacrifice to the level of a pre-game ritual. The article quotes Julius Kemei: “The last time he was here, he told us that he was traveling the same day to London for a competition and asked us to pray for him.” There is no mention of Sawe praying for the conversion of sinners, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for the needs of the Church, or for the grace to use his talents solely for God’s glory. The “petition” is entirely self-referential and worldly.
The Cult of Man and the Absence of Supernatural Finality
The article is saturated with the modernist “cult of man,” where human achievement is the ultimate measure of worth. Sawe is praised as a “role model,” a “mentor,” and a “great resource.” His generosity to the church is highlighted not as an act of charity meritorious for his soul, but as a benefit to the parish’s development projects. “He may be young, but he has already entered the ranks of an elder of our church… There is a marathon he won before this London one… and he came and gave the church Ksh 100,000.” The implication is clear: his value to the church is directly proportional to his worldly success and financial capacity. This is the theology of glory, not the theology of the Cross.
There is a deafening silence about the state of Sawe’s soul. Is he in a state of grace? Does he frequent the sacrament of Penance? Does he make acts of reparation for his sins? Does he have a horror of mortal sin? These are the questions that truly matter for an immortal soul destined for eternity. Instead, the article focuses entirely on his athletic prowess and financial generosity. This is the essence of naturalistic humanism, condemned by Pope Pius X in the Syallbus of Errors, which places human concerns above supernatural realities. The article treats the Church as a social club that is grateful for the patronage of a successful athlete, rather than as the Ark of Salvation to which he owes his eternal destiny.
The Omission of the True Purpose of Suffering and Effort
Catholic teaching has always emphasized that suffering, effort, and even failure can be more sanctifying than worldly success, if united to the Cross of Christ. St. Paul writes: “I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). The article, however, presents Sawe’s success as an unambiguous blessing from God, with no mention of the dangers of pride, vanity, and the temptation to attribute one’s gifts to oneself rather than to the Creator. There is no warning that athletic glory can be a snare of the devil, leading one away from God rather than toward Him.
The article mentions his family’s athletic background: “His paternal grandfather was a marathoner. His uncle also participated in athletics up to Uganda. And his mother was also a sprinter.” This is presented as a naturalistic explanation for his talent, with no reference to the doctrine of providence or the distribution of charisms for the common good. The gifts of God are treated as hereditary traits to be exploited for fame and fortune, rather than as talents to be used for the salvation of souls and the glory of God.
The “Never Misses Mass” Cliché and the Illusion of Sanctity
The phrase “never misses Mass” is repeated like a mantra throughout the article, as if mere physical attendance at the Holy Sacrifice is the sum total of the Christian life. This is a Protestant reductionism that ignores the interior dispositions required for a fruitful reception of the sacraments. As St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, the sacraments operate ex opere operato (by the work worked), but their fruits depend on the disposition of the recipient. To attend Mass without faith, hope, and charity, without contrition for sins, and without the intention of giving glory to God, is to receive the sacrament unworthily and to eat and drink judgment upon oneself (1 Corinthians 11:29).
The article uses this phrase to construct an image of Sawe as a “good Catholic,” but it provides no evidence of interior holiness. There is no mention of his prayer life, his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, his practice of mortification, or his efforts to grow in virtue. The external act of attending Mass is presented as sufficient, which is a form of ritualism condemned by the Church. This is the same error that led the Pharisees to believe that external observance was enough, while neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23).
The Complicity of the “Clergy” and the Betrayal of Souls
The parish official, Julius Kemei, is quoted extensively, and his statements reveal a pastor who is more interested in the worldly prestige that Sawe brings to his parish than in the spiritual welfare of the athlete. He boasts of Sawe’s donations and his status as a role model, but there is no evidence that he has exhorted Sawe to detach himself from worldly glory, to practice humility, or to prepare for the judgment of God. A true shepherd of souls would be concerned first and foremost with the eternal destiny of his flock, not with the financial benefits that a successful athlete can bring.
This is symptomatic of the post-conciliar Church, where pastors have become administrators of social projects rather than guardians of souls. The article notes: “Sawe shows young people that everything is possible with commitment and a firm trust in God.” But what is the content of this “trust in God”? Is it a supernatural virtue, or merely a vague optimism that God will bless one’s worldly endeavors? The article does not say, because it does not know. It operates within a theological vacuum where “trust in God” is reduced to a positive thinking technique, devoid of doctrinal substance.
The Scandal of the “Generosity” of the Rich
The article praises Sawe’s financial generosity to the church: “There is a marathon he won before this London one… and he came and gave the church Ksh 100,000… There are times he offers to complete projects by himself, saying that God has already blessed him so much.” While almsgiving is a work of mercy, the article presents it as if the church is dependent on the wealthy for its survival. This is a betrayal of the Gospel, which teaches that the poor are blessed and that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). The church should not be courting the rich for their money; it should be preaching detachment from riches to all, rich and poor alike.
Moreover, the article notes that Sawe’s family donated livestock and money to the church: “Each member of Sabastian’s family donated something to our church… Sabastian’s grandmother also donated a cow toward the church before she died in 2022.” This is presented as a sign of their piety, but it could also be interpreted as a form of simony, where material gifts are given in exchange for spiritual benefits (e.g., prayers for success). The article does not question the motives behind these donations, nor does it warn against the danger of buying God’s favor.
The Absence of the Cross and the Theology of Glory
The most glaring omission in the article is the Cross. There is no mention of suffering, sacrifice, or the need for redemption. Sawe’s success is presented as an unqualified good, with no reference to the dangers of pride, the vanity of human glory, or the need for humility. This is the “theology of glory” that Luther rightly criticized, where God is seen as a dispenser of worldly blessings rather than as the God who reveals Himself most perfectly in the Crucified Christ.
The true Christian life is a life of union with the Cross of Christ. As St. Paul says: “With Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:19-20). The article presents a Christianity without the Cross, a faith that is comfortable with worldly success and that sees no contradiction between the pursuit of athletic glory and the pursuit of holiness. This is the essence of the modernist error, which seeks to reconcile the Gospel with the spirit of the world.
Conclusion: A Worldly Church in a Worldly World
This article is a microcosm of the post-conciliar Church’s capitulation to the world. It presents a Christianity that is indistinguishable from secular humanism, where the Church is a social institution, the Mass is a ritual for worldly success, and the saints are replaced by athletes. The supernatural is reduced to the natural, and the glory of God is subordinated to the glory of man.
From the perspective of integral Catholic faith, this article is not merely deficient; it is dangerous. It gives the faithful the impression that one can be a “good Catholic” while pursuing worldly glory with no thought for the state of one’s soul. It ignores the teachings of the Church on the dangers of pride, the necessity of detachment from riches, and the primacy of the supernatural life. It is a symptom of the apostasy that has infected the Church since the Second Vatican Council, where the salt has lost its savor and is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden underfoot by men (Matthew 5:13).
Let us pray for Sabastian Sawe, that he may come to understand that the true victory is not the breaking of a world record, but the winning of the crown of eternal life. And let us pray for the pastors who have failed to teach him this truth, that they may be converted from their worldly ways and return to the unchanging doctrine of the Catholic Church, which alone can lead souls to salvation.
Source:
London Marathon winner Sabastian Sawe ‘never misses Mass’ (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 01.05.2026