THREE MOMENTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday in the 3^rd Week of Easter is, “Three Moments.”

It's not written anywhere, but I would think it would be safe to say that most people look at their life as moments - key moments, significant moments, defining moments.

These are the moments we wonder about - consider, reconsider - and talk to ourselves about - and sometimes share with others.

I haven’t done my homework on this - so I don’t know whether the majority of key life moments are negative or positive.  I would assume that the answer to that would depend on the person - and their history - as well as their attitude and their angles on life.

HOMEWORK

So before I begin with 3 key moments in today’s 2 readings - here are a few questions that ought to be considered. Do some homework. Answer these questions.

What was the most defining moment in your life? Falling in love? Meeting so and so?  A death? The accident? The hurt? A God experience?

To get at that: what would be the ten most significant moments in your life?   Then put them in order of importance or pick the top 3 moments and then THE defining moment of one’s life.

If possible, ask a spouse or best friend who knows you - or a close family member - but it must be a very significant person - and do this one to one. Have them list what they think is your most significant or key or defining moments - and a good way to get at this is to have them list 10 - and then put them in order of importance.

Do this for them as well - if possible - feasible - and doable.

THREE MOMENTS IN TODAY’S SCRIPTURES

First moment: what was it like for Saul [who becomes Paul] to be at the killing by stoning of Stephen.  Then to be on the hunt to rid Judaism of these Christians - and then what was it like to be knocked to the ground, blinded, hear voices, and to discover one is totally wrong in one’s assumptions about life and God?

Was that the most significant moment in Paul’s life? Was that his moment - when he felt knocked to the ground. He hits bottom. He discovers, “I’m totally wrong.” It might have been his moment - because we hear about it several times in the scriptures: here in Acts 9: 1-20, next in Acts 15, and also in Galatians 1:12-24.

Second moment: what was it like to be “Ananias - who was told to go to Damascus, to go to Straight Street, to ask at the house of a man named Judas for a man from Tarsus - named Saul and lay your hands on him so that he will be healed of his sight.

Was that the most significant moment in the life of Ananias? It’s basically the only one we know of. Was he talking about that moment for the rest of his life - especially the more Saul whom become Paul became famous?

Third moment: what was it like to have been sitting there in the synagogue in Capernaum and hear Jesus tell the crowd that we need to eat him up - to eag Jesus' flesh - to drink his blood - to chew -  to digest his life into our life - to become Christ?

What would it have been like to have heard that message that day? Did anyone of those present get this message and then follow Jesus?

CONCLUSION

Answers to these questions would be extremely valuable for us who are in this synagogue, this gathering place, this church today - we who will be receiving Jesus’ Body and Blood in communion in about 15 minutes. Amen.