Nov. 25, 2012: Christ the King
Click to hear audio homily
Many of us have seen on TV, how LSU Tiger Stadium fills up with over 90,000 people. It’s amazing that a football game can attract so many people. Have you seen three thousand people in a single line? This may not sound as many as people in Tiger Stadium, but it certainly was impressive when this singular line wrapped around Target Store a couple of times this past Thanksgiving Thursday night at 8:30PM. Many folks were in line already a day or two prior. I joined the back of the line along with few of our parishioners waiting for the store to open at 9PM for the “Grey Thursday” sale. By the time we got to the checkout lines, hundreds of people were already exiting the store with 50” HDTV’s and other special deals. It’s amazing that TVs that cost $350 could attract so many people. One of the parishioners commented that it would be so nice to see this many people attracted to Jesus and fill our churches.
One thing I learned from this experience is that people young and old have the innate ability to give their entire self--their energy, intellect, heart, and even their appetite--to something that they view as worth obtaining. A couple of parishioners told me that they were going to begin their shopping spree at Walmart at 8PM, then go to Target at 9PM, Kohl’s at Midnight, stay out until 7AM to go to other stores, but skip breakfast because it was going to take away valuable shopping hours. All of us have this capacity to sacrifice even the very things we love, in order to obtain what we perceive as the supreme good.
Jesus asks that He be the supreme good that we pursue with all of our intellect, our appetites, and our hearts. He wants to be the King of our hearts. We must realize that we cost Him dearly to purchase us from the Kingdom of Darkness; believe me, we weren’t on the Black Friday Sale. We cost Him His very own life. Therefore, “I am no longer my own. Whether I live or whether I die, I belong to my Savior. I have nothing of my own. God is my all, and my whole being is His.” (St. Catherine of Genoa) That is why, “To me: Jesus is my God. Jesus is my life. Jesus is my only love. Jesus is my all in all. Jesus is my everything. JESUS, I love with my whole heart, with my whole being. I have given Him all and even my sins.” (Mother Teresa)
We can make this radical gift to God when we are aware that we are loved totally and freely by God. Christ the King is not a king who uses force or cheap allurements to attract us; a Black Friday Deal is not how Jesus attracts us. Rather it is His great love poured out on His Cross that attracts us to respond. What is our response? I pray that it is our loving trust, total surrender, and joyful giving.
Many of us have seen on TV, how LSU Tiger Stadium fills up with over 90,000 people. It’s amazing that a football game can attract so many people. Have you seen three thousand people in a single line? This may not sound as many as people in Tiger Stadium, but it certainly was impressive when this singular line wrapped around Target Store a couple of times this past Thanksgiving Thursday night at 8:30PM. Many folks were in line already a day or two prior. I joined the back of the line along with few of our parishioners waiting for the store to open at 9PM for the “Grey Thursday” sale. By the time we got to the checkout lines, hundreds of people were already exiting the store with 50” HDTV’s and other special deals. It’s amazing that TVs that cost $350 could attract so many people. One of the parishioners commented that it would be so nice to see this many people attracted to Jesus and fill our churches.
One thing I learned from this experience is that people young and old have the innate ability to give their entire self--their energy, intellect, heart, and even their appetite--to something that they view as worth obtaining. A couple of parishioners told me that they were going to begin their shopping spree at Walmart at 8PM, then go to Target at 9PM, Kohl’s at Midnight, stay out until 7AM to go to other stores, but skip breakfast because it was going to take away valuable shopping hours. All of us have this capacity to sacrifice even the very things we love, in order to obtain what we perceive as the supreme good.
Jesus asks that He be the supreme good that we pursue with all of our intellect, our appetites, and our hearts. He wants to be the King of our hearts. We must realize that we cost Him dearly to purchase us from the Kingdom of Darkness; believe me, we weren’t on the Black Friday Sale. We cost Him His very own life. Therefore, “I am no longer my own. Whether I live or whether I die, I belong to my Savior. I have nothing of my own. God is my all, and my whole being is His.” (St. Catherine of Genoa) That is why, “To me: Jesus is my God. Jesus is my life. Jesus is my only love. Jesus is my all in all. Jesus is my everything. JESUS, I love with my whole heart, with my whole being. I have given Him all and even my sins.” (Mother Teresa)
We can make this radical gift to God when we are aware that we are loved totally and freely by God. Christ the King is not a king who uses force or cheap allurements to attract us; a Black Friday Deal is not how Jesus attracts us. Rather it is His great love poured out on His Cross that attracts us to respond. What is our response? I pray that it is our loving trust, total surrender, and joyful giving.
