Two Imposters

Treating both triumphs and disasters the same

05/12/2024

Jn 16:20-23 Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."

Let me share with you the same advice I offer families before the funeral of a loved one. We gather in the vestibule of the church with the deceased in the casket. I welcome everyone and give some directions about how we’ll go through Mass. Then I say: “There will be some light-hearted moments when we may laugh at funny stories. And there will be some heavy, sad, moments when we will really miss our loved one, and feel their absence. But in all those moments, keep your eyes on Jesus, and everything else will be okay.”

Then I go on: “That is the way we make it through life: in all the highs and lows and in-betweens, you keep your eyes on Jesus, and everything else will be okay.” Now that is a sober thing to remember because life always brings highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies, joys and heart-breaks. The happy fool thinks my life will always be butterflies and unicorns, springtime and sunshine. Or, the sad fool thinks my life will always be a long time of defeats and disappointments, doom and gloom. But the wise man knows that fortunes change. And the Christian knows in addition that the only sane and stable attitude is to keep your eyes on Jesus, like the peaceful eye in the center of the storms of life.

As Rudyard Kipling remarked in his poem, “If” – If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two imposters just the same.” Boys and girls, whether you are rejoicing because of some triumph, or mourning your losses due to some disaster, treat them both with an even hand. Like kids used to say when they didn’t want to hear bad news: “Tell it to the hand.” Or, as Hannah Montana once said rather distastefully: “Tell it to the booty, cause the hands off duty.” The point is: Triumph and Disaster are both imposters. The only real McCoy is Jesus, so keep your eyes on him.

In the gospel today, Jesus also tells his apostles to be on guard against these two imposters. He says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” How will the disciples’ grief finally become joy? Jesus explains a few verses later: “But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” In other words, the world is full of the two imposters of Triumph and Disaster. Instead of tying your hopes for happiness on their coattails, hang on to Jesus in whom we can rejoice, and then “no one will take your joy away from you.” Jesus alone is the peaceful eye in the midst of the storms of life.

Let me draw out two implications of being wary of these two imposters, a personal one and a relational one. The end of a school year is filled with recognizing triumphs, and maybe even reflecting on some disasters. Maybe you will receive rewards, honors, certificates, or have been elected for some leadership role. Those achievements are wonderful and I am sure you have earned them by working hard.

But in a sense they are “imposters” so don’t get a big head or think you are a hot shot or the BMOC (big man on campus). Keep your eyes on Jesus. On the other hand, maybe you reflect at the close of this year on struggles and set-backs you’ve experienced: poor grades, lost games in a particular sport, not winning a leadership role. Again, think of these as “imposters”, and instead of focusing on them, keep your eyes on Jesus.

We meet these two imposters again in our relationships with others. Perhaps you have met the man or woman of your dreams and feel on top of the world. You will feel a sense of exuberant triumph and believe your love is larger than life. And maybe this person is the one you will marry and have 20 kids with. But in all marriages there are struggles and stumbles, and you may feel this is not what you signed up for. That euphoria of falling in love is an “imposter” because it doesn’t last. Don’t be fooled by it, and keep your eyes on Jesus instead.

Or maybe you have been really hurt in a relationship and want to write off all boys or all girls. Maybe you will take revenge on all women by becoming a priest. Or avenge yourself on all men by becoming a nun. “Ha! That will show them!” we think. But such relational “disasters” are also imposters. Don’t be fooled by them, and keep your eyes on Jesus. Because "that is how we make it through life: all the highs and lows and in-betweens. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and everything else will be okay."

Praised be Jesus Christ!