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[Jesus
said,] “I came from the Father and have come into the
world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the
Father.” His disciples said, “Now you are talking
plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you
know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question
you. Because of this we believe that you came from
God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you believe
now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you
will be
scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am
not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so
that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have
trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
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Jim
Braddock and his family were among the thousands of families who had
lost everything in the Depression. His wife and their children
were at the point of starvation. They had no heating in the place
where they were living, and he was forced to go to Public
Relief. But there was something deep inside of Jim Braddock that
drove him to
remedy his situation. He had a dream that was bolstered by love
and honor, a dream that many would describe as impossible. He was
a boxer. Why not do what he was trained to do. And why not
go to the top? Why not become the heavyweight champion of the
world?
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Theologians
studied what Jesus accomplished with his Passion, Death and
Resurrection, and they described it as "redemption," that
is, giving us the chance to have eternal life, wiping out completely
the dominance of evil in the world. In order to do it, he chose
to use the most difficult means to bring it
about. He allowed himself to suffer death, crucifixion- death, the
most
difficult death of his day, conquering it, and achieving the
impossible, something only God would be able to do. He rose from
the dead, proving beyond doubt that he had indeed conquered the world
and the evil that was part of it.
Jim Braddock became the "Cinderella Man" by choosing to do the impossible. He began to box again after being forced out of it by an injury. And his determination led him to do the impossible--achieve the highest honor a boxer can achieve, winning the title from a man who literally had killed the people he had faced in the ring. The impossible is impossible because it cannot be accomplished by ordinary means. There must be some drive, some determination that brings a person to the point of a real desire to accomplish it. If it is not present, the task will remain impossible, but if it is present, even the impossible can be conquered. Jesus chose to accept the task of the redemption of the world, something for which every person on earth must be grateful. On a much smaller scale, but just as important for the Braddock family, Jim chose to do what he could do as best as he could. We live our lives, we go to school, we grow in our families, we work day-to-day in a world that although redeemed, is still a difficult place. To many negative people, living well is impossible. After all, so many have failed. But the fact is that we can conquer the world; we can achieve the impossible if we are committed to the internal desire to do the very best that we can in whatever the circumstances our lives lead us. |
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THOUGHT
What
is the most difficult thing that you have to do in your life right now?
How can you do it better?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your Son freely chose death in order to redeem us,
giving us the opportunity to enjoy your presence forever. At the
same time he taught us that we can accomplish wonderful things if we
are determined to do the best that we can. Give us the grace both
to be grateful and to want to accomplish a good life. Be with us,
we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |