Are you ready for God?

Are you ready for some Football? Hank Williams Jr, is well known for his theme song for Monday Night Football.  I know you can hear it playing in your head.  The classic song plays every Monday Night during football season. We have all seen the famous football moments. The Joe Montana play, throwing the winning touchdown to wide receiver Dwight Clark. Roger Staubach throwing the “Hail Mary”. How about the “Immaculate Reception’ of Franco Harris running for the game winning touchdown.

The real question we must ask ourselves is simple. Are you ready for God? In today’s gospel (Luke 12 32:48) Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake and be ready! For you do not know on what day the Lord will come.  If the master of the house had known the hour, when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come.”

I know what you’re thinking? What does the gospel this week have to do with Football? Think about it, football players train their whole life to play for the NFL. It’s their dream. Words that describe an athlete are dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to name a few. All for that one moment, that one play that defines a great moment.  “Stay awake and be ready.” Just like the football player who trains for that special moment, how are we training for God?

“You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come.” Bishop Kung was prepared; he knew the meaning of sacrifice, commitment, and dedication.In 1955, the bishop of Shanghai, China had his moment, a courageous moment that defined him as a Catholic, not a Hall of Fame moment, but a Hall of Heaven moment. Bishop Kung was arrested by the Chinese Communist and taken into a sports arena, where he was put on a platform and instructed before thousands of his fellow Christians to deny the Pope and the Catholic Church. The bishop of Shanghai, who was no more than five feet tall, reached up to the microphone and shouted, “Long live Christ the King! Long Live the Pope!” He was dragged away, and false witnesses accused him of treason-but his only treason was his loyalty to God. Bishop Kung spent thirty years in prison in one of those slow-motion martyrdom of which we hear little.

In March of 2000 at the age of ninety-eight, Cardinal Kung- for he had been given the red hat by Pope John Paul II secretly in 1979, then publicly in 1991-went to his eternal reward. And when we speak of such a man as Cardinal Kung, we are not using a pious convention when we say that ‘he went to his eternal reward.” Christ is faithful to those who bear faithful witness to Him.”

Are you ready for God? Are you willing to sacrifice your life for Heaven? Are you ready for the big moment for God? Are you ready to hear the applause of our heavenly Saints? Nothing is easy, but if we “stay awake and are ready” then the sacrifices and dedication that we give to God will become our Hall of Heaven moment.

Cardinal Kung, Pray for Us.

Bernard of Clairvaux