“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
- 5 Ways To Stay Close To The Church When You Can’t Be There In Person
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all lived through the experience of being separated from our parishes and unable to attend Mass. Thankfully the pandemic is over, but there are still some who are unable to be physically present at church whether due to illness, hospitalization, or caring… Read more: 5 Ways To Stay Close To The Church When You Can’t Be There In Person - 5 Things About Data That Pope Leo XIV Wants Every Catholic To Know
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Most Catholics haven’t read all 240 paragraphs of Magnifica Humanitas. Pope Leo XIV had some surprisingly specific things to say about your data, your apps, and the algorithms deciding what you see right now. Here are five quotes that should change how you think about your personal data: 5… Read more: 5 Things About Data That Pope Leo XIV Wants Every Catholic To Know - 25 Ordinary Things Catholics Can Do Well
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Since I was a little girl, St. Therese of Lisieux has always captured my mind and heart. Through this powerful saint, I have come to fully believe in her “Little Way”- all people can find holiness through ordinary day-to-day acts if done with love. You don’t have to perform… Read more: 25 Ordinary Things Catholics Can Do Well - The Journey Into The Unspeakable: What Is Mysticism, Really, And Why Does It Draw Us In?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Imagine being assigned the task of describing with absolute precision, within a finite number of pages, everything science currently knows about the universe. It would be a monumental undertaking, wouldn’t it? Yet, the mystic faces an even greater task. A mystic must describe not only the visible world, but… Read more: The Journey Into The Unspeakable: What Is Mysticism, Really, And Why Does It Draw Us In? - Memento Mori: A Gospel Reflection On Matthew 25
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Jesus told his disciples this parable:“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virginswho took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,brought no oil with them,but the wise brought flasks of oil with… Read more: Memento Mori: A Gospel Reflection On Matthew 25
