On Easter, ask for a do-over and ye shall receive
The old dairy council ad said we never outgrow our need for milk, and so it seems to be the same for do-overs. They are the stuff of second marriages succeeding failed first ones, high school drop outs who go back for GEDs, and adults returning to college to try and finally finish that degree.
If you’ve ever been a kid then chances are you’ve argued for a do-over. It might have happened as you stood in your backyard and watched the ball you meant to be a homer sputter to the ground a few feet in front of the plate.
Or perhaps this occurred just after you entangled yourself in the double Dutch jump ropes and fell on the sidewalk. Cries of “do-over” echo as two kids collide chasing a ball or when a discussion over who gets the point in four square can’t be peacefully resolved.
As the end of the spring semester draws nears, some of my students approach me also hoping for do-overs, an opportunity to improve their grades by rewriting a report or doing an extra assignment. They look for another chance to improve upon less-than-satisfactory events of the past, poor marks on tests and papers from the prehistoric beginnings of the term.
Few people haven’t sought to avail themselves of an opportunity to try again. As human beings prone to mistakes and sinners tending to poor judgment, second chances are more than handy.
Sometimes pride gets in the way when it comes to permitting do-overs. It’s easy to forget those times of vulnerability when we needed to start again. We may be tempted to hold the line and huff, “You had your chance and you blew it. It’s over.”
But requesting a do-over acknowledges high standards, however difficult to meet, and also contains an implicit admission that sometimes we don’t achieve our ideals the first time.
All this works out fine for Catholics, for we are a do-over people. Our commitment to forgive one another and God’s commitment to forgive us makes it possible to begin again wherever we are.
Each year we allocate the entire liturgical season of Lent, 40 days, to effect a spiritual do-over. We reflect upon our failings and then make improvements in our relationships with others and with God. Just like following the instructions on old shampoo bottles — lather, rinse and repeat — we replicate the ritual annually.
As Lent concludes, we approach Jesus’ death and resurrection, the source of this unmeasured forgiveness. We are doused in this plentiful mercy. He gives as many chances as we need to get it right.
Easter represents the ultimate do-over, the definitive celebration of the second chance. We are allowed so much more than to just fix our mistakes. The promise of the resurrection gives us a whole new life in the presence of God. There is no better do-over.
Caroline Calogero can be reached at ccalogero@comcast.net.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law