“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Great beginnings, like those opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities, are more memorable than most endings. Because when we open the first page of a novel or watch the curtain rise on a play, we are charged with anticipation.
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times,” is a great beginning precisely because it describes the paradox of anticipation. We’re roused by the rivalry between best and worst, two superlatives both as uncompromising as life and death: One must end if the other is to begin.
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” describes Thomas’ perplexing paradox of anticipation. Jesus promises him a place saying Thomas already knows the way there. But assuming this place is a destination, Thomas insists that he doesn’t know the way there. Because without knowing the end point, he can’t even decide in which direction to begin.
However, the right direction doesn’t matter because all lead to Jesus if we begin faithfully. Thus, “Have faith in God and faith also in me” is the only direction Jesus gives because it’s the only direction we need. If we begin faithfully we’ll always find Jesus in the end. That faithful beginning is how we discover that Jesus is not just a way, but He Who is the Way. That faithful first step discloses Jesus is the Way not to just a truth, but to the Truth, not to one life, but to the source of all life. However, such faith requires that we begin without knowing the end, confident that every step toward Christ during the worst of times always ends with best of times.
We seem to be in the worst of times. However, although the school year will not end as imagined, it is also the best of times. Because you get to decide the beginning of this end. You get to compose your own commencement address. Commencement means beginning. Composing your own commencement address, like penning the opening lines of a great novel, allows you to convert this year’s capricious ending into an auspicious beginning. Your commencement will charge the world with expectancy if you change the world with your fidelity. But faith always requires you to begin without knowing the end. Because you can only discover your proper end in Christ when you begin to walk in the faith of Christ. Address yourselves now to commencing that first step in faith the faith of Christ. For although you are as yet only in the lauds of your life, that first step well begun will be a far, far better thing than you have ever done. And then when the compline of your life finally closes upon your bones, it will be a far, far better rest than you have ever known.
About The Author: Conventual Franciscan Father Kenneth G. Davis is a visiting professor of spirituality and spiritual director at the Saint Joseph College Seminary in Louisiana.
Photo by Terrence Thomas on Unsplash
- 7 Deadly Sins: Is Busyness A Form Of Sloth?
https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink.org/ Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Everyone seems to be doing something all the time. On one end of the spectrum, you have hustle culture, the “grindset,” calendar creep. On the other end, you’ve got gaming culture, binge-watching, and the infinite scroll. Maybe it’s just a little revenge bedtime procrastination, staying up late for some… Read more: 7 Deadly Sins: Is Busyness A Form Of Sloth? - 3 Things You Need To Use Lent As A Time Of Conversion According To Pope Leo XIV
https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink.org/ Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Listening: “making room for the word through listening.” Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst… Read more: 3 Things You Need To Use Lent As A Time Of Conversion According To Pope Leo XIV - Lent Is A Journey Of Surrender For Body And Soul | Crux
https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink.org/ Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly - Conversion Stories Through The Rosary: Saved By Beads!
https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink.org/ Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly The Rosary has been called many things – ‘Gospel on a string’, ‘weapon of mass conversion’, ‘beads that save.’ In a simple and yet beautiful way, we can connect to Momma Mary. By reciting the prayers, we can enter into a relationship with her, and that relationship can lead… Read more: Conversion Stories Through The Rosary: Saved By Beads! - The Liturgy And The Law Share The Same Source And Purpose | Reflection For The 6th Sunday In Ordinary Time
https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink.org/ Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly This reflection is an excerpt from The Liturgical Sense of the Readings at Mass (Year A). Click here to purchase! 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A First Reading: Sirach 15:15–20Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1–2, 4–5, 17–18, 33–34Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6–10Gospel Acclamation: cf. Matthew 11:25Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:17–37… Read more: The Liturgy And The Law Share The Same Source And Purpose | Reflection For The 6th Sunday In Ordinary Time
