Homily 430 – The Rest of the Story – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Paul Harvey was a famous reporter and political commentator who is perhaps best known for his weekly segment entitled, “The Rest of the Story.” In these short clips, Harvey would profile some famous person or incredible invention. But, here’s the twist, he wouldn’t tell you who or what he was describing until the very end. The story would often begin with some fairly unlikely difficulties, or obscure facts that you wouldn’t associate with a great “success story.” As the clues continued, Harvey would ultimately end with a big reveal and his famous tag line, “And now you know the rest of the story.

“Today’s homily considers some of these type of stories, including this famous Super Bowl add (watch for yourself… I won’t spoil it.)

Today’s readings, in fact all of Christian history, are filled with these type of “improbable reversal” stories. Abraham was brought to the promised land when there was nothing there. Moses was told to get ready to leave Egypt when everything he had tried had failed to soften the heart of Pharaoh. We know how these stories end. They really are success stories.

It’s easy to look back and enjoy these hard luck stories that turned out so famously well. But what about your life right now? Maybe you’re in some pretty lousy circumstances. Maybe things are not going well. Maybe you’re telling yourself that things have never gone well, that you’re a failure, and that it will always be this way. The truth is, no matter where you’ve been or what you’re facing right now, you’re in one of these great success stories. You’ve just got to hang on. If you’re feeling down, that’s OK, but you don’t need a new life… you just need a different story.

God isn’t done with you. One day, we will look back on our whole life and see how all the pieces fit. And you know what, we probably wouldn’t change a thing. Because from heaven we will see the masterpiece God really created with the ups and downs of our lives. And we will rejoice, because then, we will see… the rest of the story.