13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 10: 37-42) “Bigger Than Elvis”

            “God is bigger than Elvis.”  Sometimes people forget, which is a tongue-in-cheek way of saying, that sometimes our priorities get jumbled in our lives. Humans have certain drives. 

                We have the drive for physical needs like food. We have a need for water. We have a need to be clothed. We also have a need for a place to live... Food, clothing, water, shelter...how those needs are met varies throughout the world. Some societies have so much food that the main health problem is obesity. In other parts of the same countries there can be people who are starving to death. Many countries have an abundance of drinking water while in other places poor people must walk many miles every day to procure water. People also want a place to live. In the upper strata of society, we might find people who have several beautiful homes. On the other hand, there are impoverished people who have no place to live. How we satisfy our physical needs can vary. Often things seem very unfair.

                Another drive we have is the drive to succeed. Success is usually determined by the values of a society. We have different ideas about this. For some, financial security is considered to determine success. Others want not only to be rich but to be famous.

                One drive that people don’t usually talk about is the God drive. Spiritual writers often say there is a hunger for God that is in every person. If we want to put it in a way that modern people would understand we would say that every human being is hardwired for God.

                Jesus speaks about this is own unique way. The last few Sundays we have heard Jesus speak of discipleship in the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. First, he calls disciples to follow him. After brief instructions, he sends them out to teach the gospel. He speaks about the simple life they are supposed to lead. Our Lord says everything is unimportant compared to sharing the good news of the Gospel. Jesus’ instructions are summed up in one symbol, the cross. The cross revolves around setting everything aside to serve the Gospel. Jesus never says, “When you follow me there will never be a sacrifice.”  He says, “What the world values you will have to reject, but it will be worth it.”       

                   Many people have had religious awakenings in Christian history. We might remember an actress named Delores Hart today. Delores Hart was famous in the 1960’s. She starred in many romantic films with handsome leading men. She is perhaps most remembered for being the woman who had the first on-screen kiss with Elvis Presley. Delores was engaged to be married. Her life seemed to be a fairy tale. She was making a film about Francis of Assisi in Italy when she met Pope John XXIII in Rome. She introduced herself saying, “I am the actress playing St. Clare.”  Good Pope John said, “No, you are Clare.” 

                She was taken aback by his words. She reconsidered her faith. At 24 years of age, she walked away from acting. She broke her engagement. She entered a Benedictine convent in Connecticut where she remains to this day. 

                If a person listens to the God-drive in their life, interesting things happen. The other hungers that seem so important become secondary. The cross stands in the middle of all the things that pull and push us. The question is whether we embrace the cross or not. Jesus says take up your cross and follow me.

                Afterall, God, in the end, is bigger than Elvis.