Q: What do college students and the Maple Leafs have in common?
A: They鈥檝e both finish their year by April.听
听
Q: What do a fine wine and the Toronto Maple Leafs have in common?
A: They both spend a lot of time in the cellar, cost too much and are only enjoyed on select occasions.听
听
听 听 听 听 Shortly after this year鈥檚 hockey season ended for the Leafs, Brendan Shanahan announced the firing of general manager, two different head coaches, and several assistants and scouts. Compare that to the actions of Jesus after his betrayal, death and resurrection.
听 听 听 听 Jesus鈥� motley crew included most of his disciples having fled and gone into hiding. Peter betrayed him; Judas hanged himself and others just took a hike for Emmaus.
听 听 听 听 What does Jesus do? He walks along side of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and listens to their story. He appears severally to the disciples and greets them with 鈥淧eace be with you!鈥� He joins them, speaks with them and explains things anew.
听 听 听 听 He asks Peter three times, 鈥淒o you love me?鈥� This gives Peter three chances to say, 鈥淵ou know I love you鈥� before the cock can crow even once.
听 听 听 听 Jesus fills them with a new Spirit that gives them courage, strength and motivation to preach in the temple even after it is forbidden and they are flogged and imprisoned.
听 听 听 听 There is much to motivate us in our post-Easter task of evangelisation. As a Maple Leaf fan I have learned to be optimistic. As a Christian I have no choice and no doubt. We can look at Acts of the Modern Day Apostles for inspiration.
听 听 听 听 Mark Danner relates a story that happened in El Salvador in 1981. Salvadorian soldiers plundering La Cruz raped and tortured an evangelical Christian woman who sang hymns during the ordeal. 鈥淪he kept singing, too, even after they had shot her.鈥� As she lay with blood flowing from her chest she kept on singing.
听 听 听 听 The soldiers watched and pointed. Eventually they were filled with fear. Unsheathing their machetes they hacked off her head and at last the singing stopped. Later the soldiers told of how their victims haunted them and they could not shake the memories.
听 听 听 听 Our challenge is to walk along side people and touch their lives. If we listen, share and inspire we can effect a change. Father Brendan McGuire says, 鈥淛esus gave us the model.
听 听 听 听 We are to walk with the people even as they walk away from our church - especially the young people, who find it so difficult with some of the things that we have done in the past as a church; or they just have difficulty with institutions in general.
听 听 听 听 鈥淭hey walk away from the Church and we are called not to scold them or to challenge them, but to walk with them and listen to their story as they walk away. As difficult and as painful as that is, we are called to do so.
听 听 听 听 In listening to them, we can then unfold what we have experienced of God, Christ and his Church. Hopefully then, we can openly invite them back to the table of the Lord. That is the entire model of evangelization for us.鈥澨�
