 |
||||||
Jesus
said, "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."
|
||||||
His
life in shambles, Vince Papole, part-time bartender and full-time
Philadelphia Eagles fan, possessing a note that his ex-wife had given
him, a note that summed up his life up to that moment in a completely
negative way,
decided to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Incredibly,
and by sheer determination, he made the team. But there was
one
thing that was holding him back, the note that his ex-wife had given
him. In a dramatic moment, when his unbelievable
accomplishment
was about to be lost and his life was to return to failure once again,
Papole tears up the note. After that statement of his
intention,
Vince Papole at age 30, went on to become the oldest rookie in the
history of the NFL to play without the benefit of college football
experience. He went on to play wide receiver and became
special
teams captain for the Eagles. He was voted "Man of the Year"
by
the Eagles in 1978 for his many charitable activities.
|
||||||
|
The note
that Vince Papole's ex-wife gave
him read: "Vince, you'll never go anywhere; you'll never
make
any money; you'll never make a name for yourself." It was not
unlike the negative situation that the disciples of Jesus found
themselves in at the end of Jesus' life.
Jesus refers to their experience, telling them that there will indeed be negatives--the disciples will weep and mourn, and the world will rejoice. But he tells them that the negatives will be overcome. Just as the pain of a woman in childbirth will turn to joy at the birth of a child, so the negatives that surround them will cease, and the joy they feel will never be taken away. "Overcoming the negatives of life" is one of the most important virtues of living well. In actuality, there are many positives that are part of our living, but the negatives seem to dominate. We do badly on a test, or we lose a friend, or we are diagnosed with a disease, or there is a death that affects us--all negatives that take over our feelings and our thinking. Many times we can do nothing else except feel sorry for ourselves. It is at such a time that we have to symbolically tear up the negative feeling that is holding us back from accomplishing what we can, and move on with our lives. Jesus refers to it as temporary pain that will pass away. Indeed it will, and our lives can be the positive statement that they should be. Life is wonderful, but we have to overcome the negatives to enjoy it. |
||||||
|
THOUGHT
What are the most positive
things in your life right now? What are the negatives that must
be overcome?
PRAYER Good
and
gracious
God, your Son
knew about the negatives of our lives because he himself had felt them.
But he also knew that every negative can be overcome.
Give
us the desire to overcome the negatives of our lives, and grant us the
grace to use what we have to accomplish it. Be with us, we
pray.
|
||||||
©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |