April 17, 2009
The Second Half
Life is incredible
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
Tornadoes devastated part of the country this past Good Friday. On Saturday morning, one of the news shows interviewed a survivor in front of her demolished home. Far from being devastated, she was extremely grateful her family was intact. The interviewer asked what she had learned from her experience and she replied: “How quickly life can change! How incredible it is to be alive!” Both of those thoughts are true, but often overlooked in the routine of everyday life. We forget that if we are here, if we are able to pray and laugh and talk, we can be grateful for the incredible gift of life. We also forget that beyond the present moment, anything can happen. If today’s problems seem overwhelming, tomorrow may be better. If we have been fortunate, now is the time to be grateful. While we can make plans and hope for the future, tomorrow is safe in God’s hands and in his wisdom he has chosen to keep the details of our future from us.
The tornado survivor’s thoughts might well have been close to what many people throughout scripture thought when they encountered unexpected twists of fate. The young shepherd David might well have had thoughts similar to those of the tornado survivor just after he killed Goliath. The same thoughts could have been echoed by Isaac after Abraham untied him and sacrificed the ram God provided instead. The young Virgin Mary must have felt the same way after her encounter with the angel Gabriel. On the road to Damascus, St. Paul had his life altered forever in a single blinding encounter with Christ. This past weekend, in the blink of an eye, a sea captain being held hostage by pirates was freed and received the incredible gift of life.
Our human nature always wants to believe the story will turn out well. Throughout human history words like “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” have been used to inspire hope in a hopeless situation. On Good Friday, the disciples felt the one in whom they had placed their hope had failed. In their minds, the story was over and the ending had been tragic. They still didn’t understand that for God, and for us, the story never ends. Judas betrayed Christ, despaired, and never saw the sunrise on the Resurrection morning. Peter betrayed Christ, and felt overwhelming remorse, but walked on until dawn broke in his life and heart.
Life, here, is only a beginning. What waits for us is wonderful beyond our comprehension. The difference between all of our Good Fridays and Easter Sunday morning is proof that God’s power to save goes far beyond our imagination. How quickly life can change! How incredible it is to be alive! What wonderful words to describe the beginning of the Easter season.
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.