The Contract

A priest friend of mine told me a story about a stained glass window in his church that needed repair. It was old, and with age, was beginning to bow, loosening from the metal frame. As you might imagine, stained glass repairmen are hard to come by.

So my friend called around to find the best person in the Archdiocese. And when Father found him, he had him come over and check out the window. After about 15 minutes, the man went out to his truck to draw up the contract. In the contract, the repairman made it explicitly clear what he wasn't going to do, what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and when Father had to pay him. Father even had to put down a nonrefundable deposit -- before seeing his work.

In relating this story, Father made it clear that the contract was written to protect the repairman and wasn't making any special effort to help him out. But Father needed that stained glass window fixed and he knew this was the only guy in Boston who could fix it. So Father took one look at this contract and asked, "Where do I sign?"

The readings this Sunday (http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032909a.shtml) and last Sunday (http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032209a.shtml) revolve around this concept of covenant and contract. Last Sunday we read that famous passage from John 3: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." What's the point of these readings? To remind us that we don't write the contract. We don't determine the how, and what, and when of life. God writes the contract, and in so doing, offers us what we need: not to fix a broken window, but the offer of salvation and eternal life.

Not only is Jesus the one through whom the contract is offered, but Jesus is the example for us to follow, because Jesus' whole life (and death) was about one thing: perfect love and obedience to the Father. Jesus shows us how we fulfill the contract. And Easter Sunday shows us the reward. The Cross (and the cross we bear) is not the end of the story.

Moreover, Jesus' life shows us that the road ahead isn't easy. In fact, even for the Son of God, life was filled with constant surprises, challenges, disappointments, frustrations, and even occasional moments of doubt and despair. But Jesus remained faithful to God through it all, to the very end. Why? Because

God loves when we are always faithful to Him -- no matter what.

So as we continue through Lent, with just a few weeks left, let us not be distracted by temptation, let us not stray from our goal. Let us not worry about challenges or obstacles or difficulty. Let us remember the reward offered in this contract so that our only question is not why me? how come? what now? or is this worth it? but simply:

Where do I sign?