Catching the grace of the moment
Matthew 28:1-10
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a
great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat
upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the
angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are
seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he
said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his
disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold,
I have told you.” Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce
this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted
them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said
to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there
they will see me.”
I would like to share with you my deepest
personal conviction. I believe there is
a grace in every moment. Let me explain
what I mean by grace. Grace is something
that helps you to take one step closer to Christ. But there’s a catch: to grab the grace of the
moment we must realize it’s only available in THIS moment, not in a moment 5
seconds ago in the past, and not in a moment 5 seconds in the future. Grace is only available right now. Have you noticed how some older people are
trying to catch “the grace of yesterday.”
They sort of want to live in the past.
How many people wish they were still 29 years old? They wish they were skinnier, didn’t have any
wrinkles, or gray hair, or suffer from arthritis. Young people, on the other hand, fall into the
trap of trying to catch “the grace of tomorrow.” They say wistfully: “I can’t wait till I’m in
high school.” Then, “I can’t wait till
I’m in college!” Then, “I can’t wait
till I’m married!” Then, “I can’t wait
till I have children.” Then, “I can’t wait
till I’m no longer married!” Then, “I
can’t wait till I’m retired.” And
finally, “I wish I was 29 years old!”
We’re rarely content with right now, all the good, the bad and the ugly
of our present lives. Scott Hahn said
insightfully: “You know you’ve reached a high degree of holiness if you can
say, “Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings as well as all crosses you’ve
given me. I don’t want a drop more or
less.” Only when we focus on today –
indeed, on this very moment – can we catch the grace to take a step closer to
Christ.
In the gospel today, we see where
all this grace comes from: it is rooted in the Resurrection, and from there it
reaches every moment of time. It’s
Easter Sunday, and two Mary’s literally run into Jesus. They embrace his feet and do him homage. Then Jesus says very curiously: “Do not be
afraid.” Why? Well, he wasn’t just spouting off some blithe
statement to assuage their anxiety.
Instead, he was affirming the reality of the resurrection, namely, Jesus
is no longer bound by space and time, so he can be present in every place and
in every moment. And when we run into
his presence in every moment, we, like the two Mary’s, feel no fear. We read in 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love casts
out all fear.” When you embrace Jesus
and feel his love, you feel no fear, only peace. That’s the grace in every moment.
Do you
know who’s really grabbing the grace of this Easter? It’s our RCIA candidates: 28 people became
Catholic here this Easter. Recently, one
candidate received a very strong admonition NOT to become Catholic. A friend posted this on her Facebook page,
saying: “Please call me before you become Catholic! You are making a huge mistake! There is no way a man can forgive sins. The Bible has proven that the pope is the
antichrist! The Bible is the sole rule of faith and no church can tell you what
to do.” That always reminds me of what
Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said: “There are not a hundred people today who
hate the Catholic Church, but there are thousands who hate what they THINK is
the Catholic Church.” Today, however,
our candidates are not afraid of such caricatures of Catholicism. They cling to Christ in the sacraments like
the two Mary’s hugged his feet, and they feel no fear. Jesus’ resurrection has made him present
today, not where they were yesterday, not where they might be tomorrow. They have grabbed the grace of the moment
they become Catholic.
Let me ask you something: are you
happy? Seriously, are you happy RIGHT
NOW in this church, attending this Easter Mass with these people this morning? Because you know what? I’m happy.
I wouldn’t want to change anything in this moment in my life: not the
good, the bad or the ugly. I’m happy I’m
45 years old this year (and not 29). I’m
glad to be pastor of Immaculate Conception (and not bishop or pope). I’m glad I’m in Fort Smith (and in not
Cancun). I’m content not having a
full-head of hair (well, I’m still working on that). I’m satisfied I can’t play basketball like I
used to (I had a great jump-shot). I’m
happy not being married. I’m fine not
winning the lottery. I’m thrilled it’s
Easter Sunday (and not summer vacation).
And I’m happy to be here with each of you. I’ll go even further and say, I wouldn’t wish
another soul to be here; I’m glad it’s just us.
Because, you see, Jesus’ resurrection makes him present NOW, in this
moment; he’s not waiting for us in some imaginary world of our wants and
wishes: in some yesterday long ago or in some tomorrow that may never
come. In Shakespeare’s play, King Henry
V rouses his troops before a decisive battle by saying, “We few, we happy few,
we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my
brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition.” The King knew there is a grace even in a
battle facing overwhelming odds, and he didn’t want his men to wish they were elsewhere. He wanted them to catch the grace of the
moment. That’s why Bret Bielema never
tires of telling the Razorbacks, “ 1 and 0,” “1 and 0” because he wants them to
focus on the game at hand. He doesn’t
want them worrying about the past or thinking about some championship game
tomorrow. Grace is only available today.
My friends, wherever you are, no
matter how good or bad or ugly the situation may be in your life right now,
God’s grace is offered to you. You can
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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