What Shiny Charizard GX Taught Me about Authenticity, Penance and Forgiveness.

Okay, so truth be told I don't know anything about these little Pokemon guys except that my youngest son loved them when he was little. He recently scored a pack of Pokemon cards and discovered that he had the Shiny Charizard GX. He burst into the room and laid it out in-front of me.

Blink. Blink.

I didn't get it. But he was so happy I knew it had to be special. He said, "Mom this card sold for $10,000 once!"

He asked if he could start his own eBay account and sell his cards so that he could earn the money he is saving for "The Goods" bat. This bat is going to be so sweet. He has it personalised... It is the two-piece composite one, it will have his number and name on it....You can see him visualise himself hitting dingers in the game, the roar of his mama and papa cheering loudly over the rest of the crowd as he rounds the bases and waves at his adoring fans. This isn't just A bat....it is THE bat.

LOL, for you folks who are neither baseball or Pokemon fans I may have lost you all together but bear with me.

This whole experience with eBay and PayPal,  in the middle of a Pandemic has revealed A LOT....

About

Me.

Among other challenges, one of the customers who purchased one of the cards reached out to the kiddo and kindly informed him that the card was not authentic and he would like a refund.

How many times have we been so excited about something, and flung ourself fully into the possibility of a thing with the absolute certainty that it was real and authentic...only to find out that we were WAY off course?

The process of trying to issue refunds quickly while also reaching out to other buyers to inform them of our sad new knowledge that they too purchased a junk card was filled with hours and hours of failed google searching for why we kept getting error messages and broken links. What would have been simple to fix with a phone call was met with recordings of reduced manning due to COVID19. Even the advice given to us by friends simply didn't work and so those hours became time filled with clenched teeth and upset. But now that we are in the clear of it we can see that while some time, some money, some pride and even a little (okay...a lot of) patience was lost.... we are better for it.

The customer who brought the whole unfortunate reality to our attention was matter of fact and respectful. For the most part, the customers who bought the cards were HAPPY we told them. Though the truth hurts.... knowing it has not only provided an opportunity to accept it and share it but to learn and grow. (Authenticity). By accepting it, my son began to live in a maturity that so many in our world don't abide in. He could have railed and kicked and screamed at the situation. He could have destroyed the cards and the computer he bought them on (he would have been grounded but he could have). But that wouldn't change the truth. By sharing the reality, sad as it was it showed my kiddo and others that he was trustworthy and though the card wasn't authentic...HE is.

Speaking of trust...my not so little man learned that by trusting the headline and not reading the tiny hidden fine print led to getting his hopes up and then sharing that false hope with others. That false hope  FELT real with the eBay Pokemon loving world, and it hurt to have to admit his mistake. It hurt to lose money, and even the loss of the anticipation of earning his dream bat. (Penance)

People could have attacked him for misleading them, they could have rated him poorly and he could have done the same with the original seller but in the end everyone was very understanding and willing to put the whole thing behind them, leaving the unfortunate bits and picking up learned lessons instead. (Forgiveness)

This situation makes me think about Authenticity, Penance, and Forgiveness as a reminder that it is in the seemingly small stuff that we are called to reject the lie, even and especially when the Deceiver uses truth to tempt us and distract us. We are called to suffer a little, small inconveniences (that almost never FEEL so small in the moment) and sacrifices are necessary. In the end we are so much better than we were before; in confronting the ugly truth, the forgiving, and the whole process together we are in the business of co-creation, the business of BECOMING. Much like these little characters with their added powers... Let me explain...

We follow Christs example, and imbued with the power given by Him we gain even when it feels like we lose.

The Evil one so cleverly uses the truth against us in clouded and manipulative ways to confuse and destroy....in this case the original seller of the cards, did in-fact, include a note in significantly smaller hard to read text imbedded in the description of the cards. 

Us humans...we often listen to hear and we read to see what we WANT to...The other side of the transaction could technically say they did nothing wrong...but does that satisfy us? Not really. Because we have a feeling that justice and truth look like big bold letters and saying the exact right thing. 

That desire is good. The desire to trust and know that truth and justice are clear and constant. This desire is a clear reflection of Gods own heart! So, much like the temptation of Jesus when Satan spoke truthfully but wryly, and Jesus combats that temptation with truth in the FULL measure... we must do the same as Jesus... We must be truthful without hidden context. That also means not hiding from the ugly of it, it means calling it out. Its not enough to simply delete the item for sale. We have to SAY to those who spent their time investing in what we were selling that we were wrong. This is a small reason I think its important to see Jesus on the Crucifix. 

The brutality of what He endured shows us what we are capable of as sinners. I did that when I blow it as I often do. I fail over and over again to face up and fess up. But I want to change that. I have to face it so that if I do everything I can to endure the truth of what I have done, I can get to the time and place where I say sorry and if I can do that...then I get to be there when the Tomb opens up that glorious morning. Easter comes for me too! I just have to stick with it. I have to endure and see my failings so I can see the sweet day when I am redeemed and He is glorified. In the pain is a promise of peace. Ignore the ugly, forsake the beautiful.

And when we fail, or other fail us? This is the hard part. We pay the piper. In recent homily, Father Mike Schmitz talked about doing penance even when WE aren't the ones who committed the sin. Fasting, almsgiving, praying these are ways we sacrifice to ease the suffering for others...my kiddo didn't deserve to feel misled, and he didn't deserve to lose more in the deal. Those folks who bought the cards from him didn't deserve the disappointment that awaited them.

But my friends, WE didn't (and don't) deserve for Jesus to give the full measure of sacrifice for our sins but He did. He stepped in the gap for ALL of us. Underserving and in many cases uncaring, unknowing or unbelieving that to be the case, He did it anyway. 

Sure, we lost some on the Pokemon card deal... and in our efforts to save others from the same disappointment my son had to swallow his embarrassment and put pause on his ability to earn enough for his bat. His heart was broken that someone would not be upfront about what he was buying into. He was disappointed for sure. But that bit of sacrifice wins more than we lost.

Pokemon characters gain experience through battles. Some they win and some they lose but they earn powers along the way.

And in the end, I hope that like us, you are reminded that without that bit of sacrifice we might miss the best part. 

Jesus rose. He ascended and sets a table for us. He said it was going to be tough, that battles will rage...but He also promised us that we would gain some powers too...not entirely earned but freely given by love. Our job is to tap into them. To do that we are to follow His example and that example means that eventually; through seeing and sometimes having to confront the truth, being authentic, sacrificing for others, forgiving ourselves and those that disappoint or hurt us....we end up sitting at that table. The one decorated with truth, justice, and mercy. And probably for my son, a who slew of REAL Shiny Charizard GX cards AND the best baseball bat of all time.