“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
- 3 Christian Baseball Players In The MLB Right Now
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Several hours before the first pitch is thrown, players slowly trickle into a quiet stadium. As they enter the clubhouse, a few different activities have already begun. The equipment manager, or “clubbie,” is hanging jerseys. The trainer is loading ice into an occupied tub. Behind a window-paned office, the… Read more: 3 Christian Baseball Players In The MLB Right Now - The Solemnity Of The Ascension Of The Lord: Gospel Reflection
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly The eleven disciples went to Galilee,to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.Then Jesus approached and said to them,“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the… Read more: The Solemnity Of The Ascension Of The Lord: Gospel Reflection - Fatima: A Warning Or A Sign Of Hope?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly God understands human history not only contextually, as we hope to do, but also in the fullness of time, which reflects His infinite intelligence. His capacity is beyond our understanding, and He intervenes in our lives and in history itself in such a way as to preserve our sacred… Read more: Fatima: A Warning Or A Sign Of Hope? - In A Spiritual Rut? Practical Steps For Getting Unstuck
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly How many of you are still keeping to your New Year’s resolutions? Unfortunately, these are, for many, already a distant and slightly embarrassing memory. Some of you may have even already fallen off the wagon for your Lenten practices. If you have, or you didn’t even choose a Lenten… Read more: In A Spiritual Rut? Practical Steps For Getting Unstuck - Relying On Our Own Strength Will Never Give Us The Grace We Truly Need
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly When God is our strength, it is strength indeed; when our strength is our own, it is only weakness.” — St. Augustine. Self-reliance, relying on our own strength, will never give us the outcome or the grace we need along the way—generally speaking, in life or in anything we… Read more: Relying On Our Own Strength Will Never Give Us The Grace We Truly Need
