Pray to finish on the right side of the line!
Homily preached October 1, 2023
by Monsignor Michael Deering

There’s a tiny little town, 20 miles northwest of Chicago called Fox Lake that holds their Fireman’s Fall Festival about this time each year. I got to attend this event many years ago and can still remember a particular competition they had that got many people involved.

Being a small town, they closed off their main street for the afternoon of the Festival ... and the Firemen hooked up two fire hoses to nearby fire hydrants.

Then team after team of 6 people each would come forward ...

to pick up one of the hoses for a water battle between 2 Teams.

Here’s how it worked: A 6” wide line had been painted across the width of the street and they put an empty Stainless Steel Beer Keg on the line in the center of the street.

When the Judge shouted “go” the hoses were turned on full force and a timer was started. Each team now had to do their best to hold up the heavy hose and direct its spray onto the Beer Keg to move it to the other side of the line painted on the street.

Well the Keg was swirling and turning every which way as the opposing streams of water moved it around. Back and forth it would go as the teams tried to hold and move their hose together to keep their spray of water directly on the moving Keg.

At the end of 1 minute, the Judge called time and the hoses were turned off and  whichever team … at that moment had moved the keg across the line into enemy territory … was the winner!

The teams played mighty hard and everyone had a lot of fun.

Most of the contests were pretty evenly matched with the Keg going back and forth over the line many times during the one-minute game.

But there were a few instances where one team would do a great job of keeping the keg across the line for most of the time ... but would slip up and allow the keg to move back into their territory just as time expired … and so … they would lose!

You see, in this contest,

the winner was not determined by how long you kept the keg across the line,

the winner was determined by which side of the line … the keg was on …

when the time expired.

It’s kind of like watching a NASCAR race … where winning is not determined by how many laps a driver leads … but rather by ... who leads the last lap!

There are times where drivers will lead 190 out of 200 laps and then get in a wreck or have car trouble or run out of gas or get passed ... and lose the whole race!

You see, it’s the one who is leading at the end … who wins!

Similarly, in the Crazy Keg Contest, even if you successfully held the Keg across the line for something like a full 55 seconds … if you allowed the Keg to slip backward across the line onto your side as time expired …

you would actually lose the whole contest!

Now, the reverse of this was also true, meaning that ... even though

you weren’t able to get the Keg across the line for a full 55 seconds …

if you finally managed to move the Keg over the line just as time expired …

you would actually win the whole contest!

In all of this, I see a huge theological truth in this Krazy Keg contest!

It has to do with how souls will either win or lose the crown of Heaven …

because that too depends … on what side of the line you’re on …

when time runs out … and you die.

In our First Reading today, God speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel, points out that if a virtuous person, turns away from virtue to commit sin, and then dies, that final state of their soul will determine whether or not they enter Heaven.

If their life should end at a time when they’ve turned away from goodness and they’re in Mortal Sin, they will be caught on the wrong side of the line (so to speak) and they will lose the contest … they will lose Eternal Life with God in Heaven!

See, God is warning us that even though we may spend our whole life being good,

if we should fall into serious sin and die in that state, we lose. And we don’t get to play again! The side of the line that we’re on at our death has eternal consequences.

So Ezekiel brings us very distressing news.

But ... Ezekiel also brings us very encouraging news too!

For in that same reading, he points out ... that if a wicked person, repents of his wickedness and does what is right and just ... he shall preserve his eternal life!

You see, once again … it’s all in how you finish!

It reminds me of that famous saying, “It’s not over till it’s over”.

You hear this a lot in Sports competitions.

If you’re winning at half time, a Coach will speak to the team...words of affirmation,

“Right now we’re ahead … But, don’t let up ... keep playing hard  ...

... because ...   “It’s not over till it’s over”.

If you’re losing at half-time, the Coach will speak to the team ... words of hope,

“Right now we’re behind ... But. don’t worry ... you can do it ...

Don’t give up … because ...    “It’s not over till it’s over”.

So you see, that little phrase “It’s not over till it’s over”

has both ... a challenging and ... a comforting connotation.

• It’s challenging from the standpoint that: as long as we live … we’ll never get to the point where we can let down our guard and relax and fall into serious sin.

Because if we die in serious sin ... we lose!

So, the challenge is to remain faithful to God to the very end ...

because it’s only by finishing our earthly life in the state of virtue ...

that we’ll win Eternal Life with God.

The phrase “It’s not over till it’s over”

• is comforting from the standpoint that as long as we’re alive, we have the opportunity to approach God and receive forgiveness for our sins.

So where will you be at the end of your life? What side of the line will you be on when you breathe your last? Will you be on God’s side or on the other side?

I’ve had the privilege to hear many confessions of the sick and dying …

people who within hours of receiving God’s forgiveness for sins ...  died!

Wow! They repented of their sins and their souls were moved back across the line … into the Light of God’s grace … just as their life ended … so they won!

I’ll never forget being called to offer the Sacraments to a woman who was on Home Hospice. After exchanging pleasantries with the family members, I asked for privacy with the dying woman who was laying on her side with her eyes closed.

I tried gently for several minutes to get her to speak, but she didn’t respond.

I then sat down in a chair at the very top of the hospital bed and asked her:

“What do you want to tell Jesus you’re sorry for?”

After a long period of silence, she opened her eyes, raised her head, looked at me

and said one word:     “Abortion”.

Then she closed her eyes and put her head down and said nothing more.

How pleased I was to pray the Prayer of Absolution over her ...

knowing that the mercy of God washed away her sin

and that she finished on the right side of the line!

Please don’t wait till the last minute to call for help for your loved ones.

First, there’s no assurance that you’ll be able to get a Priest.

   And second there’s no assurance that he’ll be able to get there in time.

Remember the Sacraments are for the living …

they are God-given channels of grace and help to be used while we’re alive.

Please use the Sacraments of Confession and Communion often ...

and don’t be lulled into complacency over past prayers and good works.

There will never be a time when you can become complacent …

where you can just coast and figure that you have it made.

That’s because the Devil will never cease tempting you to turn away from God ...

to backslide and cross the line … back into old habits and old sins.

In addition to making regular, even monthly use of the Sacrament of Confession,   

   you should form the habit of praying a Perfect Act of Contrition every night

before you go to bed … kneeling down and saying to God,

“I’m sorry for my sins ...and with your help and protection, I will sin no more.

The clock is winding down … and each day we get closer to the end of the game.

We need to be in the state of Grace when time runs out.

If you ever find yourself taking a side-trip away from God, you need to come back to Him as quickly as possible because you risk being separated from Him forever.

For motivation, just remember what Jesus declared to the Chief Priests and Elders in today’s Gospel.    “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors & prostitutes ...

are entering the kingdom of God before you.”

Jesus is saying that great sinners are entering Heaven because ...

when they realized their sins … they repented of their sins and were forgiven,

while the self-righteous remain blinded to their need to even ask for forgiveness.

Recall the Gospel where:

the Pharisees bring a woman before Jesus who had been caught in Adultery;  

     Scripture says that Jesus crouched down and drew a line in the sand.

On one side of the line was the woman caught in sin who fell at the feet of Jesus,  

On the other side of the line were the self-righteous Pharisees who …

after realizing they were sinners too … went away without repenting!

People … on two different sides of the line.

Which of them received the mercy of God?      The woman on Jesus’ side!

Which side of the line are you on? When was the last time you went to Confession?

Are you going to go at Christmas?          Well, that’s 3 months away.

What if your life ends before Christmas? Are there sins that you need to bring to the Lord for healing? Why wait? Why risk dying on the wrong side of the line?

Please reflect on the fact that your life will someday come to an end …

and just like in that Krazy Keg Contest … it’s all about how you finish.

You need to finish on the right side of the line.

In that contest, you had to hold onto the hose and keep it focused on the Keg, following it wherever it moved, until time expired ...

and the hoses went limp and the game was over.

Keeping the Keg on the right side of the line determined if you win or lose.

In a similar way we have to hold onto our faith and keep it focused on Jesus,

following Him wherever he moves, until time expires ...

and our bodies go limp and our life is over.

Finishing with our Soul on the right side of the line ...

 will determine whether we win or lose ... Eternal Life!

So, be faithful to Jesus every day ... to the very end …

because as you now know ...

It’s not over ... till it’s over!