I considered this story from the perspective of the two men who were driving by and noticed the man in distress in the river. They pulled over their cars and called 911. While waiting for help to arrive, they saw the man climb part of the way out of his vehicle but noticed that he was sinking quickly. One of the men, Chris Arias, decided that he decided he needed to attempt a rescue by swimming into the frigid, fast-moving water rather than watch from the side of the river.
I admire Arias’ bravery. I’d like to think that I’d do something similar in the same situation, but I think about my wife and kids and other family I may be leaving behind if the attempted rescue doesn’t end well. (This makes me appreciate risk and sacrifices those in the protective services, military services, and their families take every day.) On the other hand, I'm not sure I could just watch a person drown without trying to help. Given a split second to make the decision, would you jump into the water or would you stay on shore?
Then, I considered this story from the perspective of the man who was saved from the middle of the river. The news story says that the man was dazed and needed a few moments to realize what had happened and gave Arias a huge thank you. The man realized that he would have died if not for Arias and has a second chance at life.
What if you were the one plucked out of your sinking vehicle in the middle of the Sacramento River?
What if you survived a near-death experience?
Would you live your life differently with your second chance at life: Would you be more grateful? Would you be more appreciative of the good things in life? Would you be more generous and loving to those around you?
The events that we celebrate as Catholics during Holy Week, remind us that we were saved from certain death (and eternal damnation) because Jesus died and went to Hell to save us from the sins that we committed. Why? Because, as Jerico shared with us three weeks ago in God’s eyes: You Matter and You Are Loved! Jesus just saved you from your near-death experience. Let the weight and meaning of that statement sink in. How does that make you feel? Does that make you feel grateful, like Izabelle shared last week?
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.
This Easter, we acknowledge that Jesus just saved you from your near-death experience. Will you live your life differently with your second chance at life: Will you be more grateful? Will you be more appreciative of the good things in life? Will you be more generous and loving to those around you?
Holy Saturday At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter