Right now in the United States, there is a lot of basketball being played and sometimes you hear commentators talk about second-chance points. This is when a team makes a shot, misses, gets its own rebound, and then manages to score. Second-chance points are not common because the defending team is in a better position to get the rebound. For this reason, teams know not to rely on second-chance points and always try to make a basket on their first try. In today’s Gospel, we hear Our Lord speaking about what might be called second-chance graces. The people who were with Him were experiencing incredible graces but were not fully realizing it. They had in front of them the Incarnate God Himself. They were in the midst of the most important time of the history of the human race. Our Lord was working incredible miracles and so providing proof of His divinity. In today’s Gospel, we also see that He was casting out devils. He was freeing people from slavery to the devil. But this situation was not meant to last long. Our Lord would only be among them for three years and then He would be crucified for our sins. If they do not accept Him now, chances are that there will be no second chance. He casts out the devil today and they say that He casts out the devil by the devil. Tomorrow, He is going to go away. Meanwhile, the devil is going to go and get reinforcements and come back to possess their souls. When he does so, who is going to help them? If they reject Him, there is not going to be anyone able to face off against the devil and they will be defeated by him. It is now or never. There will be no second chance.
