Next Sunday, February 4^th is Super Bowl Sunday!

On that day, the best team from the American Football Conference

       will play the best team from the National Football Conference

and the winner will reign for a year as Super Bowl Champion.

Not long ago, Super Bowl Sunday was almost like a National Holiday in that everything seemed to come to quiet while this game was played ...

with families and friends all across America getting together to enjoy ...

the big game and pull for their favorite team.

But something has changed, somehow it doesn’t seem so important anymore.

I’ll bet a good number of you couldn’t even tell me who’s playing this year!

And even if you did know that it’s ...

the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles ...

 I wonder if you could tell me the names of the coaches ...

or the names of 5 players ... or even the city where the game will be played.

I happen to know the game will be played in Minneapolis, Minnesota ...

but I could only name one player ... Tom Brady because he’s been before.

Not so long ago, I could tell you many of the players on NFL teams

because I had a real interest in how they did.

But no more.

In fact, I’ve lost interest in most every professional sport with the slight exception of NASCAR Stock Car Racing and even that interest is fading fast.

You see, for me professional athletes used to be just regular guys ...

who earned their living by using their God-given athletic abilities ...

to play a sport they loved.

That was it! They were special, they were admired ... but they weren’t held as gods.

But now-a-days ... the Sporting industry has taken many sports to a level that is

simply ridiculous ... glamorizing and idolizing players and coaches

and investing unbelievable amounts of money so that men will win a game / race.

Do you know how much money Quarterback Tom Brady makes?  $20 M a year!

          That’s for 16 regular season games and 3 playoff games ... or $1M per game!

And he’s only the 12^th highest paid football player!

Drew Brees of N.O. makes $26M a year!

We have people in this parish who are out of work ...

and people living from check to check

and then there’s coaches and players making that kind of money.

For many of you who are working ... you’re concerned about paying your rent or mortgage ... your utility bills ... your doctor bills and you’re children’s tuition.

And so for me it just dilutes any type of interest in professional sports.

I guess it comes down to discovering and acknowledging what’s really important.

If you’re one of the many people battling cancer or some other medical problem at this time, then who wins the Super Bowl will probably be of little interest to you.

What would be important to you … reclaiming health for you or your family.

And so you’ll be focused on turning to skilled Physicians for help and healing.

And if you’re a person of faith, then you’ll also be focused on turning to Jesus,

the Divine Physician ... for His supernatural help and healing.

God wants us to turn to Him regularly and often.

He wants us to turn to Him not only when were sick but when we’re well too.

But sadly it seems that many people only turn to Him ...

when something’s wrong ... or they want something.

Perhaps that’s why God is allowing bad things to happen in a growing way.

Consider the number of hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and wild fires last year.

And consider the ever-increasing violence across our land. In our Schools ... in this month of January ... there have been 6 separate incidents of a student firing a gun in school ...  a total of 5 students died ... and 19 students were injured!

We may wonder why God allows this to happen.

God has given each person free will ... the freedom to choose good or evil ...

and sadly in these days ... many are choosing evil.

Fortunately, God can bring good out of evil.

If these bad events bring people back to their knees before God,

then a great good will come out of these Natural disasters and senseless killings.

Notice how recovery efforts and consolation efforts bring people together.

In Psalm 95 that we sang today, we heard the directive:

“Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us.

For he is our God and we are the people He shepherds.”

This is the humility that God desires from us, His people.

He wants us to kneel before him and happily admit that He is God and we are not.

And tell Him that we need Him & depend on Him & appreciate Him for everything!

This is nothing less than the truth!

There is a God … a one and only God,

who is the Creator of all things

and Who holds the keys to Everlasting Life for every Creature.

How is it that so many don’t see this ... when even the devil admits it!

In our Gospel today, Jesus drives out an unclean spirit from a man.

And as He does the evil spirit cries out,

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? …

I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”

Yes, even the devil knows there is a God …

 and he will suffer eternally for choosing not to serve God.

We certainly don’t want to suffer the same fate.

But we might if we don’t unite ourselves with God and listen to His words.

In our First Reading from Deuteronomy, God foretells the coming Messiah saying,  “I will put my words into his mouth … whoever will not listen to my words

which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.”

Listening to God begins here in Church where we gather each week ...

to formally hear His word proclaimed in the Scriptures ...

and then be united with His Word, Jesus, in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

So attending Mass is essential ... but it’s only one moment in our relationship.

God wants to hear from us every day … not just when we want something.

When we come to realize that God is the most important thing in our life ...

 then we’ll hold Him in our mind and in our heart all day ... every day.

Soooo ... what’s important to you?

Is it the Super Bowl?

Is the winner of the Super Bowl going to get you to eternal happiness?

No! the Super Bowl is a nothing but a game that grown men play

and it means nothing in the big scheme of things!

It too will fade into history.

All things are passing … including your life ...

and you get just one life to come to know, love and serve God ...

so as to live with God forever in Heaven.

You get to decide ... by the decisions you make every day..

Spending time watching Professional athletes play sports ...

will not get you to the kingdom of Heaven ...

Listening to our all Powerful God ... for His help and guidance ... will!  

Let’s be smart and get down on our knees regularly and often.

Remember the saying, “If you can kneel before God, you can stand before anyone!”

We may never make millions of dollars in our life ...

but if we arrive in Heaven, we will be eternally wealthy!

Let’s not wait for disaster, but constantly approach God in all humility to tell him that we need Him, we depend on Him and we appreciate Him … for everything!