The Greatest Story ever told!
Homily preached December 26, 2021
by Monsignor Michael Deering
Would you like to be a Millionaire? You’d be very rich indeed!
How would you like to make a Million bucks ... in one day?
How would you like to make a Hundred Million bucks ... in one day?
Well, someone did that ... 6 years ago today!
His name is J.J. Abrams
He’s the guy who wrote, directed and produced ... the VII Episode of Star Wars ...
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Ticket sales on Opening Day totaled ... $100 Million dollars!
And if you counted the whole weekend in America that number rose to $ 238M
and if you counted the whole weekend worldwide the number rose to $ 517 M!
What did J.J. Abrams do to make that kind of money?
He made a movie of a story ... a science-fiction story ...
a story that never happened ...
a story that never will happen ...
And ... millions of people spent money to see it!
It’s just one of several other stories that people go to see or get to read in this season.
There’s, The Night Before Christmas ... it’s a story ... a make-believe story!
There’s, A Christmas Carol... it’s a story ... a make -believe story!
And there’s, The Birth of Jesus ... it’s a story ... but it’s a true story!
And when you think about how miraculous this story is ... you see what makes it:
... The Greatest Story ever told!
It’s the story of how the overpowering love of God entered into our world of space and time so that we, His creatures, could have a new relationship with Him as His Children ... and have a Brother and Friend, named Jesus, here with us ...
to guide us through this life to find our eternal Home in Heaven.
Today marks the day that Baby Jesus was born among us ... 2021 years ago.
We call it Christmas Day ... it’s the day ... that changed everything!
Isaiah foretold this day in our First Reading announcing,
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
St. Paul affirmed this day in our Second Reading, declaring:
“The grace of God has appeared ... Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us
to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own.”
Could there be any better story than this in the world?
Sadly, many don’t know this story or have forgotten this story.
For example, the day the 7th Episode of Star Wars came out, the newspapers gloated:
“Can the eager First Day Viewers of the new Star Wars trailer ...
who saw it 112 Million times on line be all wrong?”
The Newswriters went on:
What about “the true believers” who purchased $50 Million
and counting in advance tickets ...
can they be mistaken about this film too?
There’s nothing like a good story ... but the question is ... is it true?
Ten Star Wars movies have been made over the years ... none of them are true.
And yet, the writers predicted this back in 2016:
“Film’s most venerable space opera is about to start bringing new stories
to the Big Screen at the planned rate of one per year!”
And indeed it came true ... new episodes were released in 2017, 1018 and 2019 ...
new stories ... about nothing ... nothing real.
The question is ... will our children believe these make-believe stories ...
more than ... the Greatest Story ever told?
That’s up to us! For those of us who believe it, we have to live it and share it.
Here’s the direction that God gives us in Psalm 96 that we just prayed today:
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.”
Yes, and this starts with our children and our grandchildren ...
Make sure they know the difference between make-believe stories & real stories?
Make sure they know the difference between make-believe people and real people.
Many kids have collections of Star Wars Action Figures!
like Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and others.
The thought crossed my mind of how we Catholics are often given a hard time
for having statues of the Saints on display in our Churches and our homes
implying that by having statues ... we’re worshipping idols.
But I guess it’s ok to go decorate your kid’s rooms ...
with statues of Action Figures from movies!
Surely they’re not worshipping them ... just remembering them with fondness!
That’s the very thing we do with statues of Saints ...
we remember them with fondness!
And actually, the Saints are the Action Figures that we should have on display in our kid’s rooms ... for they were real people ... who led real good lives!
You know it’s in coming to Church that we get to hear the Greatest Story ever told
over and over again.
That’s why it’s so important to be sure to attend Church every week!
It’s here that we get reminded of God’s plan and promise for our eternal happiness.
And yet ... so many haven’t been coming.
Well ... if this is your first time to come to Church in a while ... Welcome back!
Make this Christmas your Best Christmas Ever by using it as the beginning of a new habit ... the habit of attending Church every Sunday ... where you get reminded and strengthened ... to trust and follow ... The Greatest Story ever told.
You know,
God actually beat J.J. Abrams to the punch on naming and advertising his story.
Whereas the Star Wars Episode 7 promotional ad
showed a woman holding a weapon , a light sword, in her hands.
the True Story of the Nativity ... showed us ...
a woman, Mary, holding a weapon, Baby Jesus, in her hands ...
Yes, Mary was holding not a Light Sword ... but ... the Light of the World!
Yes ... Madonna and Child ... Life Bearer holding Life Giver!
And their roles were played out ... not in Star Wars ... but in Star Love.
And I think that J.J. Abrams actually stole his sub-title from God’s story ...
in naming his movie, “The Force Awakens”
for the true force of all is Jesus, who awakened to us as a Babe in Bethlehem!
The great St. Augustine used this very verb ... awaken ... in a 4th century homily ...
“Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man.
Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead and Christ will enlighten you.”
You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time.”
How marvelous … that God, who is pure spirit …
would take on the lowly flesh of us His creatures …
so that He could be with us in a more complete and loving way.
That’s what Christmas celebrates! The coming of God to us.
That’s why we’re here today … to celebrate that festive day
The day when God … became man!
So extraordinary is this action of God ... that when we recite our Creed tonight we will express heightened reverence for the Incarnation by genuflecting .
“And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”
And why did Jesus do this? Why did he become man?
Augustine explains:
“For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make His only Son become son of man, so that a son of man might in his turn become son of God?”
It’s because of Christmas that we have God’s holy spirit in the world & within us.
It’s because of Christmas that we have the birthright to heaven as
beloved sons and daughters of the Father.
So, let us joyfully celebrate the Birth of Jesus!
This is not a made-up story. It’s a true story. It’s a true love story.
It’s...The Greatest Story Ever Told!
If you believe this story ... and live this story ... and share this story ...
you’ll one day be richer than a Millionaire ...
for you will inherit ... the Kingdom of Heaven!
Merry Christmas!
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