Penn State’s Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley can help us to contemplate heaven. Beaver Stadium has a seating capacity of more than 106,000. This makes Beaver Stadium the fourth largest stadium in the world behind Michigan’s “The Big House,” The Rungrado in North Korea, and the largest being the Narendra Modi Stadium in India which houses roughly 130,000.

Football draws people. This time of year marks the college bowl season where many stadiums are packed to full capacity. Think of all the games this season in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC that have filled up stadiums.

Try and imagine what it would look like to put all those people, at all those different games, into one giant stadium. Then think of all the packed stadiums throughout all of college football history and try and think of placing all those people into one mega-stadium.

I once met a Catholic priest, named Father Dennis, who attended a College World Series Championship baseball game that I was at years ago in Omaha. He shared with me his thoughts about the electrifying moment of being with tens of thousands of people in the stands.

Fr. Dennis said, “All I could think about was if we were to take all the arenas and stadiums in all of sports history and all the greatest moments of all sports and put them all together it would only give a glimpse of the roar and cheering of Heaven.”

Fr. Dennis then continued, “I like to think of the moment when a soul arrives at Heaven and is greeted by Jesus who takes the soul into the stadium of the saints and the arena of the angels. This stadium and arena stretch beyond imagination and the seats are higher than one can see. As the soul enters Heaven there is a roaring of the righteous souls and a cheering of the angels that are simply beyond words.”

Fr. Dennis then said, “The arriving soul humbly asks Jesus, ‘Why are they all cheering so loudly?’ And Jesus, placing His pierced hand on the soul, responds with a smile, ‘Everyone is cheering for you for accepting my mercy and grace. Well done my good and faithful servant…Come, share in your master’s joy.'”

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of Heaven.” Fr. Dennis sought the kingdom first and appreciated the roar of the crowd while sitting at the College World Series because his mind lifted toward Heaven. At the next electrifying sports game, especially at a big football game, try to remember the words of Jesus, “Seek first the kingdom of Heaven.”

All the saints and angels are praying for us. With the help of God’s grace, one day they may be cheering for us as they welcome each of us home.

Luke Daghir is a seminarian for the Diocese of Erie. He is with St. Joseph and St. Luke Parishes in Warren County for his parish mission. He enjoys watching NCAA football.