Dress Rehearsal
We spent five of the last nine days watching the same musical. Our daughter played Grandma Addams in “The Addams Family,” and we watched the story unfold over and over again. As she told us, “You can come to the show all five days and not see the same show twice!” She was right. Grandma Addams sang a new song each night as she entered the scene. Uncle Fester surprised us with comical tweaks to his character each night.
Five performances in five days. These teenagers (ages 15-20) did a tremendous job. They didn’t break character. They didn’t lose their focus or forget a line…even when a spotlight shone in the wrong spot. Even when the mics weren’t switched on right away. Or even when a sword blade flew off its handle and landed stage left! (No one was hurt.) There were many hours of practice and of course, the week leading up to the show included dress rehearsals.
Dress rehearsals ensure that the actual performances go smoothly. A show-situation environment is created for everyone to practice. How does that translate to everyday life - what about before big life changes? Where is the dress rehearsal before new chapters in life happen? When a new school year, new job, changed responsibilities, moving kids off to college, grief, or loss are asked of us?
We all know that dress rehearsals in life don’t look like the ones on stage. Most times, changes in life don’t even give us a rehearsal slot. We barely have time to rehearse our lines and then we’re called on stage, forced to sink or swim. Even when we practice or run lines through our mind, we can’t always plan for every outcome (like a prop breaking on stage).
No matter the role we are rehearsing for at this stage in life, there is a dress rehearsal for us. It’s rehearsing the most important role we play: sons and daughters of God. We haven’t earned this role. No audition necessary! It’s been freely given to us. But it does require effort on our part. In any relationship, each person has a role. We know God’s role is perfect and flawless each performance. Grace and merciful love are freely and abundantly given. He looks at us with love and awe no matter if our costume is frayed or we botch our lines. We can enter our role with faith, love, trust, obedience, and virtue. Rehearsal for us means prayer and working on our relationship with God and others. We must understand both our role and His role.
In this weekend’s Gospel, the Canaanite (Gentile) woman experiences stresses in life; in particular, her daughter is suffering. Because of this woman’s many “dress rehearsals” of faith and believing Jesus is God, the true Messiah, she turns to Jesus for help. Her timing and her persistence are a little annoying though, and Jesus tests her faith three times. “But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’” Matthew 15:21-28
The woman let God be God, instead of putting herself in His place. She recognized His role as God and her own littleness. Jesus praised her faith and even healed her daughter.
We encounter many changes in life that we don’t feel fully prepared or rehearsed for. Stepping back, we can see that our biggest role in life as a beloved son or daughter is one that allows us to continually refine our role. May our current dress rehearsal in life lead to a performance that results in what Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “O woman, great is your faith!”