I tend to root for the underdog. Everyone expects winners to win all the time, and that upsets will not happen. However, there are groundswells of support when underdogs start to have their day. The public rallies around the underdogs and support grows. In the USA, we have the annual Men’s College Basketball tournament, called March Madness, and there always seems to be a “Cinderella Story.” This year, our hometown team, the North Carolina State Wolfpack were the Cinderellas, and they made it to the final four teams in the tournament, after a very unlikely series of wins. For our NC State fans around the globe, “Go Pack.”
Fresh off the tournament, the first reading of today resonated with me.
Left for Dead
Paul was preaching, and a group of Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and turned the crowds against him. Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead. This underdog for Christ had met his end, they thought. So much for the grand hero for Christ. He could perform healings, preach like no other, and exhibit boundless energy, but now he was just a heap of flesh and bones, battered and beaten. He was the loser, and the winners won. So much for this Cinderella Story, or so it seemed.
As the disciples gather around him outside the city gates, I can visualize a few small movements, a few small groans, and the shaking of limbs causing dust to rise. In amazement, Paul finally sat up, and looked at them. I can imagine him saying “What are you staring at?” After an evening of rest, food, and water, and some rudimentary first aid, he was ready to roll the following morning, and he departed for Derbe with Barnabus.
Triumphant Return
Rather than limping to the next city, like a beaten dog, he proclaimed the good news, and many disciples were formed. He strengthened the spirits of those he met. Paul advised them that it was necessary for all of us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God, and he had the bumps, bruises, and cuts to prove it. He walked the walk and did not just talk the talk. He was the underdog, but became the top dog, for Jesus.
Hope
I titled this reflection Hope because we all need to have hope in our redeemer. We are going to be dealt bad hands in life. Faith is part of Hope, and we should be hopeful and faithful people. Christ was resurrected, and we are a resurrection people, not just during Easter and Holy Week. We know who wins the war (Jesus), even though we seem to lose many battles. We are the underdogs in the world, trying to stay on the narrow, difficult path. As we gain some successes on our journey, we can help form a ground swell of support, like Paul, like the NC State Wolfpack, like the local volunteers in your Parish. Do not give up hope and do what you can to show hope and faith in the way you live, work, and play.
