I half expected to see everyone show up for Mass today in Seahawk blue, praying for the Hawks to win what is likely to be a close game against the Patriots in Superbowl XLIX.
Today’s gospel is very fitting for Super Bowl Sunday. The scene we encounter could be named the original super bowl, a contest of strength and strategy between the two most powerful opponents in the world: the Capernaum Demons, known also as the unclean spirits against the Holy Ones of Nazareth, led by Jesus and his disciples.
This spiritual super bowl began much like any super bowl does, with much jeering, hollering and screaming. The unclean spirits are shouting out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Their aim is simple: they want to frighten and intimidate their opponent and his fans but ultimately they are unable to.
The Holy Ones from Nazareth have come to destroy those demons but they take on a different approach. They want to control the unnerving noise so that they can hear the signals. Their head coach, Jesus, starts the play with a powerful word, “Quiet!” As you can see, he speaks with authority.
Unlike Super bowl XLIX in Phoenix, this super bowl between the Capernaum Demons and the Holy Ones of Nazareth is no place for couch potatoes. This is one game you cannot just watch. You are the 12th man and you know what I mean by that. Like it or not, we are active players in this game of life. But, whose team you are on depends on your attitude toward authority. For example, on an airplane, if the pilot flashes the seat belt sign, everyone complies, but do you buckle up when you drive home from the airport? Which team we root for depends on how responsive we are to God’s authority in our lives. Ignoring it can be costly.
As the head coach for the Holy Ones of Nazareth, Jesus has a game plan that uses divine authority to bring about the kingdom of God, with the help of his fans obeying the ten commandments and doing the corporal works of mercy.
As the head coach for the Capernaum Demons, the devil has a vastly different game plan. He is determined to recruit new team members with any form of temptation he can think of including the lure of wealth, lust, and prestige. He does his best to convince potential recruits like you and me that Jesus doesn’t really care about what you think or want. From the time of his first play with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the devil has always been cunning when it comes to debunking the value of God’s authority in the game of life.
Is our intent in life to please God or are we more anxious about the things of this world? In a recent homily, Pope Francis cautioned that lukewarm Christians risk losing their ability to deal with life’s difficulties and ultimately salvation.
Married or single, St. Paul urges us to seek the Lord without distraction. That is his game plan for freeing us from anxiety but when it comes to finding God, the devil will do his best to lead us astray, which happens whenever we downplay or ignore what God ask of us. God’s authority and our humility enable us to gain yards in the game of life toward building up the Kingdom of God. Can you see the game plan that the head coach for the Holy Ones of Nazareth is using in your life and how his authority makes that a winning plan?
Consider who is on the team that makes up the Holy Ones of Nazareth. Jesus has key players such as love, hope, faith, charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, self-control, and prayer. His second string includes prudence, justice, temperance, courage, humility, purity, forgiveness, service, responsibility, gentleness, freedom and truth.
And who makes up the Capernaum Demons? You have met some of the team members: we call them the seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, envy, gluttony and lust. Then there is the second string: adultery, abortion, apostasy, idolatry, child abuse, war, drugs, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, assisted suicide, human trafficking, racial hatred and discrimination. Quite a line up the devil has there!
These two teams, the Demons and the Holy Ones, are pretty evenly matched. You and I know that with all the temptations we face daily. What gives the Holy Ones of Nazareth the winning edge is the team spirit, led by the Holy Spirit, which gives us the power to resist the temptations we constantly encounter and an understanding of who God is and what really matters in life. The Demons may be deadly, but the Holy Ones are lively, filled with the very presence of God.
What began in Capernaum 2000 years ago is a game that won’t end until our final judgment for we often face decisions that can either destroy our relationship with God and others or help us to grow in holiness. Although we will leave here expecting the Hawks to win, we don’t know which team will win Super bowl XLIX. The same is true for the Spiritual Bowl; we hope that the winner will be the Holy Ones of Nazareth but the Demons could win. For us to destroy the Demons, we must honor God with all our mind and heart, not lukewarmly but with the same zest one finds in the 12th man rooting for the Hawks. If God can count on you to be a loyal fan for his team, living his gospel message to love, teach, pray and serve then the Capernaum Demons will not have a chance at winning the most important super bowl of all time.