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Human family

As we continue our Lenten journey through the stations of the cross, today’s two stations emphasize the humanity of Jesus.

The third station: Jesus falls the first time

Jesus is a young man of about 33 years old. To hear that He falls as he carries the cross seems a surprise, especially knowing that His full humanity contains an equal amount of His full divinity. How can God fall? And from the name of the station, it didn’t happen only once. After being beaten and crowned with thorns by the soldiers, who excelled at pain and torture, Jesus’ body was weak. And yet He gets up and continues on. His destiny is not to die on the road, but on the cross at Calvary. 

There have been heresies over the centuries that denied the humanity of Jesus, but this station underscores just how human He really was. Jesus understands our human nature because He has lived it. He knows, not just from a divine understanding, which penetrates much deeper that even we can understand ourselves, and brings that wisdom in practice. How many times do we use our fallen humanity as an excuse to do what we want to do, as we try to act as a god ourselves? We argue with God that He doesn’t understand our circumstances, but these defenses fall flat with Jesus’ first fall carrying the cross. He does understand how easy it is to fall under the weight the world puts on us. While Jesus can sympathize with our plight, can we understand the love He has for us to accept the cross and all it brought with it? Love is not just a nice feeling, but a choice that requires sacrifice. Do we die to our wants in order to choose a relationship with Jesus?

The fourth station: Jesus meets His mother

If you try to imagine a scourged and bleeding Jesus, carrying a cross on the way to His death, meeting up with His mother, the woman who has trusted God in all circumstances of life, the encounter is nothing short of painful. Jesus wants to comfort His mother, but words are hard and time is short. Mary wants to comfort and aid Jesus, but she can only pray that God’s will be done through all of this. He is her baby boy, but she also knows He has a mission too. She has to let Him go amidst the pain and suffering she feels. She lets Him go, but never too far away; she will be at the foot of the cross as He takes His last breath. 

This station reminds us of the great miracle of the incarnation of our Lord. He didn’t just pop into existence, but with the consent of Mary, started His life like we all do, in the womb of His mother. The bond between mother and child lasts far beyond the umbilical cord and early childhood dependence. While on the cross, Jesus will speak to Mary and give her motherly protection to John and the Church. Through our baptism we become adopted children of God and we receive Mary as our mother, to help support us and point us in the direction of her Son. She has experienced both true miracles and the worst of horrors during her earthly life. Now, in heaven, she seeks the well-being of all her children throughout the world and across the millennia. When we fail, let us never be afraid to seek her guidance and protection to help steer us back to the path God has for us. 

Jesus shared our humanity, and therefore is a part of our human family. As Christians we partake in His divine family, and are able to call God our Father and Mary our mother. 

Condemned to the cross

As we begin the Lenten season, one practice that is typically offered by churches on Fridays is the Stations of the Cross. This year, I’d like to reflect on each of these stations, two at a time. 

The first station: Jesus is condemned to death.

Each of the four Gospels are clear, Jesus’ death was sanctioned by Pilate. All four also indicate that Pilate questioned the need for a death penalty, trying to have Jesus released by comparing Him to another prisoner, Barabbas. Can you imagine what an intoxicating sound it must have been for Barabbas to hear his name being shouted by all the people? How many in the crowd had recently sung the praises of Jesus? How many had been healed or knew someone who was, and now they are calling for the release of a murderer rather than a healer?

In the end, “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.” (Mk 15:15, emphasis added) The Pharisees, the crowd, the soldiers, and Pilate all played a part in the condemnation of Jesus at that historic moment. Over 2,000 years later, we’d like to say we wouldn’t have participated or that we would have stood up for Jesus, but even His Apostles, the tight-knit circle of disciples, had mostly run away. While John was at the foot of the cross, where was he in this judgement? Was he one of the lone voices speaking out against this injustice? Or were his cries useless against the roar of the crowd? 

The phrase used in this passage in Mark can serve as a beacon for us. While God does not want us to be miserable, He also doesn’t want us to seek out satisfaction on our own. Rather than searching to find something or someone who can satisfy us, we need to learn how to be satisfied with what we receive. When we allow the blessings and graces God gives us to fill us up, there is less room for the devil to tempt us into seeking things and persons who turn us away from God.

The second station: Jesus takes up His cross

Condemned to death meant one thing: crucifixion. This begins Jesus’ last journey, but it is the one that He was born to make. He has been brutally beaten by the soldiers, mocked with a crown of thorns, and weakened from the loss of blood. Yet, He picks up the cross, bearing the weight of it on His shoulder. The burden of the cross equates to the weight of our sins. When we seek to reconcile ourselves to God, we seek His mercy in the sacrament, but do we realize that Jesus has already carried the weight of our offensive words, actions, or inactions when He picked up that cross? We may receive a penance of a few prayers or passages in scripture to read, but we need to remember that Jesus has already paid the price for us, and there is nothing we can say or do to compensate Him.

We all have problems, pains, and struggles. We often referred to them as our crosses to bear. How many times do we ask God to remove them from our lives? Do we allow these crosses to be opportunities to learn how to trust God more, to become closer to Him? We may start out with the best intention to carry our crosses ourselves, but we are far weaker than we realize. Jesus understands all too well the weight of what we carry. While we must be willing to bear the burden in our cross, we also must make sure that we are not adding additional burdens and anxieties to it. 

We cannot go back in time to help Jesus during this most difficult journey. However, when we pray the Stations of the Cross, we remember not just the sacrifice of Jesus, but the details that made up the sacrifice. And when we receive the sacrament of reconciliation, we can be more grateful for all that Jesus did for us.

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Eye splinter

Comparisons should come with warning labels and spiritual safety glasses. In a world where likes are tallied and people can be “cancelled,” comparing our lives to the lives of others can have drastic consequences.

I’ve been watching way too much YouTube recently and one line that is universal to every video is, “Hit the like button.” Indicating you like the video and, if you want to see more of the creator’s content, subscribing to the channel are inputs to the complex calculation that is supposed to spread the creator’s content and recommend it to others who have similar viewing habits. Yet it feels as if, no matter where you go in society, everyone has a similar mentality of getting likes or positive online reviews, no matter how small the interaction. Every time I use a service or order online, it seems like I receive a survey so that I can provide my judgement of the experience. While it’s good to seek out how to improve, oftentimes it seems like I’m being asked to participate in a marketing ploy so that the company can use those favorite advertising descriptions like most popular and best seller. These statements may seem harmless on the surface, but for those with a competitive nature, it’s a subtle cue that triggers a desire to want the item, just because the proverbial everyone has it. We don’t even realize that these statements are causing us to compare ourselves with others, about whom the only thing we know is their purchase of that item or service.

In the carefully curated world of social media, we can do physiological damage to ourselves if we compare our lives with the lives of others. Even for those who keep it “real,” we are only seeing a small sliver of their life. We all know that life is complicated and challenging to navigate, and each person faces their own unique trials and issues. Yet all too often we pass judgement, either on those we see or on ourselves for not achieving what the content creator did. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus warns us, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” (Lk 6:41) A splinter in the eye sounds painfully horrid, but the reason Jesus uses the eye is because it’s through our eyes that we see the world and make comparisons of ourselves and others. Our eyes are constantly taking in the world around us and making micro decisions about our environment, looking for potential dangers, as well as noticing delicious food or something that will help us in our life. When our sight is hindered or blocked, we cannot get a full understanding of our circumstances and certainly not that of anyone else. Most often we fail to recognize our faults and yet feel empowered to tell others about how they can correct theirs, regardless of whether or not they sought our input. 

Comparisons can be a tool, if we use them properly. If we look to another and notice their words and actions bring the love and peace of God to others, then we can look to them as a role model. Mary and all the saints are role models for us to follow. However, if a person seems to sow division and accusations, we want to be sure we don’t mimic their behavior. We should not judge them, only use that example to cleanse us of bad habits. If we see similar traits reflected in our own behavior, rather than condemning another, we should seek God’s mercy and grace, not just only for ourselves, but also the person that is suffering in a similar way. Even better is to ask God to help all those who are stuck in that same negative trait. 

Life is not a contest for the most number of likes; each of us suffers with eye splinters. Let us seek God’s grace and mercy to address our words and actions that don’t bring His love and light to those around us. 

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Safe in God’s hands

Mass can be routine. While the readings and songs change, everything else stays mostly the same. Until it isn’t. No matter what, Mass is still the Mass, regardless of the circumstances.

It started out as a normal Sunday Mass. I was appreciating the use of the organ in the opening song, the Gloria, and the responsorial psalm, when the accompanist would usually switch to piano. But all that changed at the end of the Gospel when everyone’s cell phones all sounded the alert. As we sat down for the homily, someone called out to Father that it was a tornado warning, in case he wanted to address it. As a retired priest who was filling in, his first comment was, “What do you want me to do about it?” I totally understand that train of thought. From my perspective, if it was my time to go, what better way than to be during Mass? However, our deacon, who also teaches at the school, used the school’s protocol and advised that we proceed down to the social hall, which was a floor below the church. 

Our social hall was split into two sections that day. One side was conducting the monthly blood drive. The other was set up in the normal meeting fashion of chairs around long tables. As the congregation took seats or stood around the perimeter, there was a lot of chatter amongst the people. Yet the deacon was able to capture everyone’s attention quickly and announced that rather than waiting until the warning subsided, we would continue with Mass, but that everyone would remain where they were and communion would be brought to us. Father did shorten his homily, and proceeded with the liturgy of the Eurcharist. Two candles were lit and everything that was needed was placed on the makeshift altar. Despite the unusual circumstances, there was still a reverence observed by both the clergy and the congregation present. While there was a child or two that could be heard, most others were silent. For me, I closed my eyes and let my focus be on the words instead of on the surroundings.

What struck me the most, however, was receiving Holy Communion. Usually we stand in line and proceed up to the minister, and when receiving in the hand we make a throne, so that the Precious Body can be safely placed on the palm. Normally, I don’t see the person’s hands in front of me, however, this time, I could see the whole row of open hands, indicating the person’s desire to receive. It reminded me of the pictures that one sees of those in poverty who are lining up with open hands to beg for a scrap of food. And that is what we truly are: beggars in this world, seeking the daily substance through the grace and blessings we receive from God. Everything that we have is a gift from God, one that He renews each and every day. As the ministers walked down each isle, they retained a solemness for what they carried, stopping for each person. One of the musicians softly played the piano on the stage, allowing those who received sacred background music to aid their meditation. While our surroundings were different, receiving Jesus was still the same holy and sacred moment.

Even with the disruption, since there was no singing and the homily was shortened, Mass was completed quite quickly. To all our relief, the tornado warning had expired and we were safely sent on our way. Yet, we are always safe when we place ourselves in God’s hands. Regardless of what happens, when we know God is with us, obstacles have a way of being addressed, even in a most unexpected way.

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Got problems?

In our fallen human condition, we face problems daily, perhaps even multiple times throughout the day. They can range from the truly basic needs of where a person’s next meal will come from to if it’s time to start looking for a new job; from which medical treatment will address the health crisis to which school a child will attend. How often do we lift up our problems to God to solve?

Early on in my working career I was advised that if I was going to bring an issue or concern to my superior, I should also bring at least one solution, if not multiple options with my reasoning of which was best. That makes sense in a working world, but sometimes it feels like I apply that to my relationship with God. While I’m sure God does appreciate me using the brain He gave me to analyze the situation and the possible outcomes, He may be frustrated in my lack of trusting Him to make the best decision for not only my immediate need, but for my lifetime. As a human, my perspective is very limited, as is my knowledge of the problem at hand. I’m not privy to the effect the problem or its resolution may have on others. God sees all. God knows all. Yet, here I am not asking for help, but instructing specifically what God needs to do. I don’t consider myself a Martha, but in retrospect, I’m a bit like her, telling God how He needs to address my problem.

For every problem there is an answer. We humans have problems. God is the solution. When we try to provide solutions ourselves, we are trying to be God. This was what made the forbidden fruit so attractive to Adam and Eve, that they can be like God. Most times God does want us to participate in solving our problems, but that we do so by following His will for us. Relying on our own initiative, we shut God out of an opportunity that could grow our faith and relationship with Him. It may also prevent God from working through another person who could provide us the aid that we need. God also understands how different solutions will affect us and those involved both immediately as well in the long term. In our finite understanding, we tend to think that once a problem is solved, that is the end. Sometimes it is, but sometimes the results can affect us way longer than we can even imagine. Our short-sightedness leaves us blind to the consequences we will face if God answered our demanding prayers exactly the way we ask of Him.

Supplication, or petition, is one of the types of prayer that is a constant for every Catholic, including every time we attend Mass. Asking God for help is a good thing! Asking God that He helps us in a very specific way is where our prayer can go awry. Let us examine how we petition God for assistance, taking Jesus’ example from the agony in the garden, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42)

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Not alone

On a physical level, it seems that we are born into this world with nothing and leave it just the same. But that outlook does not take into account our relationships and experiences. We are not only just individual persons with our own experiences, but also a family, a community, a society of interactions.

I recently caught a portion of a video in which the commentator said he believed in individualism. He felt sacrifices for the larger community was foolishness and that all our experiences were at an individual level. While I initially skipped past the video, I was bothered by it. I don’t know if the author has any religious affiliation, however, I don’t see how a person could believe in God and also think that, basically, the world was all about himself. I then wondered if he was married, as surely that construct would be the antithesis of individualism. If he is married, perhaps it is an illustration of how much society is devaluing marriage. When I start to ponder something that agitates me, I know the only way I can put it to rest is to confront it with what I believe.

A person is created through the relational acts of his/her parents and with the blessing of God infusing a soul into the conceived embryo. Our beginning is not that we just pop into existence, but that our existence is a result of actions. Our first experience, not that we are aware or understand, is that of being in the womb, where our mother nourishes us for the time of our gestation. We live and grow within the relationship of our mother’s care. From the very first moments of our lives, we have an impact on others and they also have an impact on us. While our physical dependence is on our mother, the family to which we are born into is also impacted by our existence, since pregnancy does affect many aspects of the mother’s life. Some expectant mothers may have extra energy, while others require more rest. Some have crazy cravings for peculiar food combinations, while others struggle to keep food down. All of these changes have an impact on her family, unbeknownst to the child developing inside her. 

Our dependency does not stop once we are born, as it will take many years for a child to mature and be able to care for his/her self. At an individual level, our experiences during our growing years will be unique for each person and will shape us into the person we eventually become. But it’s not just physical growth that we experience, but also mental, emotional, societal, and spiritual growth as well. We observe the world around us and make decisions based on what experiences we have. From an individual perspective, we do make choices of how we react and behave, but often it is prompted by the actions of others around us. If someone makes a joke, we laugh. If someone is sad and cries, we may cry with them or offer a shoulder for them to cry on. If we have good news to share with others, we want them to celebrate and be happy with us. Even after we reach the point of being able to care for ourselves, our family and community are hugely impactful in our lives. No matter how independent we are, or think we are, we always rely on God’s grace and blessing to keep us in this world.

Sacrifice could be a whole blog topic itself. However, the context of the comment about it being foolish caused me to feel rather indignant. We make sacrifices to live at a very basic level. We need to work in order to have a home, food, transportation, and so forth. We give up our time to earn money; that’s one aspect of sacrifice. Perhaps because we decide how the earned money is spent, it may not be seen as a sacrifice by those believing in individualism. Another sacrifice is being part of a family, we give up our time to spend with them, help them, and celebrate with them. Love is a sacrifice; sometimes it’s easy and doesn’t seem like any effort and other times it can feel painful. If believing that sacrifice for others is foolish, what does that do to the person’s community? Do they walk away from their family and change friends frequently to avoid foolish actions? I suspect that those subscribing to individualism probably choose some sacrifices willingly, but may use their philosophy to avoid others. 

Our lives are a tapestry of experiences with others. Even if we choose to spend time alone, our relationships and memories will continue to influence us in these moments. If we are shunned by all, we still will not be alone. God will remember us, since “upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you.” (Isaiah 49:16)

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Ripple effect

Death interrupts life. While that may seem like a very obvious statement, I don’t mean it for the person who died. I mean it for those still living on earth. A death causes a ripple effect beyond the person who passed.

Recently my sister’s mother-in-law passed away. While she was older and in fading health, the end still seemed like a surprise. Since my sister and her husband dated through most of high school and all of college,  our families shared several gatherings before their wedding and a few after, before they moved out of the area. While there are many perspectives on the impact of her death, let me share it from my perspective. The smallest ripple, meaning the least impacted, was actually on my eldest sister. Because she had met her at several family gatherings, my eldest sister took the time out of her day to attend the funeral Mass. As there was no one else from our family in the area, when I heard she attended, I was humbled by her kind act of paying her respects, almost as the representative of our extended family for those who could not attend. 

A bit of a bigger ripple was experienced by my Mom and me. With the funeral being in Pennsylvania, my sister and her husband had to travel up the day before and I was asked to stay with my Mom, both as a companion and for safety considerations. Since she recently had a short stay in the hospital, it was a prudent request. Given the distance between my house and my sister’s, I had to call on a friend from my parish to feed and take care of Vera while I was away. While normally I would ask my nephew, since it was his grandmother who had passed, he, too, was away for the funeral. In this instance, not only was my mother and I affected, but also my friend, who didn’t know the deceased at all. 

The biggest ripple of all is to her family members. As the mother of 16 children, there are certainly many descendants who felt her loss. My niece calculated 95 direct descendants, which includes the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It’s practically a small village! While her passing put their lives on hold as they said their farewells, it didn’t stop with just the funeral services. It’s the communication of her death to all the necessary organizations, as well as to those outside of the immediate family. It’s sorting through whatever possessions she left behind and determining what should be done with them. Beyond that, however, is the inability to ever truly visit with her again, to speak with her and receive a response. Yes, there are plenty of pictures of her smiling, but it’s only a reminder of a memory. There will be no more memories made with her. Each member of the family will grieve in their own way, figuring out what coping mechanism works best for them. But the rest of their earthly life is changed without her presence. Her death will ripple through them while they continue their journey on earth. Sometimes it will be a warm reminder of her, while other times will bring tears of missing her.

Our Catholic faith requires us to believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. We have hope that she and her family will be reunited one day, along with her husband who had passed many years before her. Death may have a ripple effect on earth, but the salvation of Jesus Christ overshadows the temporary inconveniences and grievances. He calms the waves brought on by death and when we lean on Him in times of distress over a lost loved one, we can receive a taste of the peace that will be ours on the other side of this life.

Grape leaf and bunch of grapes gilded on a church door in Israel

Best for last

Sometimes scripture can seem sparse on details; other times there are details that we just gloss over. During Sunday’s Gospel, John’s account of the wedding feast at Cana, one thing stood out to me even though I’ve heard this passage numerous times. 

The account of Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine has been reviewed and commentated on for thousands of years. When it comes to the dialog within the passage, many focus on what is said between Mary and Jesus. But if we consider that no dialog account is without need or meaning within scripture, then the address given by the head waiter deserves to have a closer look. 

“Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jn 2:10

Some may look at this as a third-party proof that Jesus changed the water into wine. But what if there is a deeper meaning? Is this only about the wine served at a wedding over 2,000  years ago? Or is it an eternal statement? 

From Genesis to the Psalms to Isaiah, various aspects of a wedding and marriage are described throughout the Old Testament. It is the building block of society. It is the family church. It reflects the relationship within the Trinity, albeit very imperfectly. The wedding feast is often considered to be an allegory used to describe eternity: it’s the picture that is painted for us humans as to what eternal life will look like when we are in heaven. Even the Church often describes herself as the bride of Christ. As members of the Church, we too are brides of Christ in that we are preparing for our marriage to God, which is our eternal life in heaven. The covenant of marriage is a sacred bond, so anything within the scriptures that references a wedding or marriage should cause us to pay more attention to the passage and look beyond the superficial meaning within the account. 

How is it that we know what was said between two unnamed people in this story? John being deeply spiritual in his reflections of his time with Jesus, includes this portion of the conversation because it takes on significance regarding our eternal life. If we think our life on earth is good, what is waiting for us is far superior. What the head waiter commented to the bridegroom at that moment refers to what Jesus, as bridegroom to the Church, does for our lives in saving the best for last. Through the ministry that Jesus carries out, He is able to open heaven to those who profess in word and deed that He is the Son of God and our Savior. Heaven is the good wine. Life is transformed from just plain old water to the tasty, refreshing wine. That our life on earth, a physical existence in time and space, is transformed into eternity with God, never in need or want again. 

As Christians, it is important for us to remember that our life is not contained to just our earthly existence. What we do daily impacts our readiness for the life to come. We hope for an eternal life spent with God, seeing Him as He truly is. We can be confident that God does provide the best: life that is everlasting. 

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Opportunities for practice

Hope and trust in God are two hallmarks of our Christian faith. Yet these virtues are not something that we always “have” but rather are virtues that need to be practiced. And for most of the residents of the United States, we are in the midst of multiple opportunities to practice them.

Last week started for me with a winter storm that left me without power for most of the afternoon. While I did my best to grin and bear it, using the opportunity to say a rosary and do a little bit of weaving, as what little daylight faded, I started to get anxious about when power would be restored. With temperatures much below normal, in the 20’s, my home was getting considerably chillier. I was relieved when it finally came back on and I could heat up leftovers for a late dinner. Unbeknownst to me, other areas of my region were suffering from a lack of water when the water treatment plant lost power that morning. It took about a week to get everyone restored back to normal. This is just one little incident that was affected by the cold weather and frozen precipitation from a storm that went through numerous southern states, from Texas and Arkansas all the way through to Georgia and up through my state of Virginia. 

If vicious cold and wintery weather did not affect folks, then it was the strong winds in California that spread the flames burning whole neighborhoods to ashes. Each hour that goes by seems to have another movie or TV actor announcing that their home has been destroyed. While it can be helpful to have familiar names and faces associated with the tragedy, it can be very easy for us to shrug off the impact since they have the money to rebuild. What about for all those who support the entertainment industry and the people who work within it? It’s also the non-famous people who are part of the community that have been affected. It’s the local business owners who not only lost their home but also their livelihood. Natural questions that arise in this devastation include: why did this happen, how will I recover, and what happens next? Not all of these questions come with satisfying answers.

One might turn to the book of Job for comfort. Job lost everything and though he complained to God and asked for why he was being thus punished, he never cursed God. There will always be periods of suffering in our lives and when we are in the depth of misery during these times, it can be hard to see that brighter days will come. Like the three friends of Job who try to comfort him, many will try to speak words of comfort, yet the pain of suffering continues. However, we are all called not to focus on our earthly lives, but in all our actions to desire the kingdom of heaven and what will lead us there. When we are struggling, we both seek the assistance of God as well as offer the fruit of the struggle for His will to be done. “Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire.” (CCC 1820)

When life seems to be favourable to us, it is easy to say that our hope and trust is in God and His will for us. Yet in the face of hardship and suffering, it is then that we illustrate our hope and trust in God. It doesn’t mean we face it all with radiant joy, it means that we ask for His help. It doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing, but that we pray for guidance and take action. It doesn’t mean that we focus only on our needs, but look around to those going through the same suffering and ask how we can help others and to share the burden of the ordeal. 

January certainly seems to be giving us many opportunities to practice hope and trust in God. Let us pray for all those who continue to suffer the consequences of the various weather events and seek ways to help them recover. 

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Welcoming what’s next

January seems like a time for new beginnings. We seem eager to make resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more, spend time with family, and pray more consistently. But are we really open to what’s next?

As human beings, we exist in a realm of time. We mark the passage of it and make plans for what will come. From seconds to hours, days to centuries, no amount of time is too small or too big for us to track, or at least we try to do so. Yet, we really don’t have any control over time. We can’t slow it down or make it go faster. Neither can we control what happens at any point in time. We can make the most perfect plan, and circumstances outside of our control render a whole timetable… useless. No matter how many times this happens to us, we keep making plans. Perhaps this is a reflection of the deep-seeded hope we all have as children of God. We don’t know what will happen next, so we broadly choose to be hopeful and optimistic. There may be circumstances when this is difficult, like when dealing with a health crisis. However, our Catholic faith encourages us during these difficult moments — even when facing the possibility of death — that not only is God with us, but that the end of earthly life is not the end of our existence. 

At the start of the year, time has so much potential and promise. We may have a long-awaited trip that suddenly seems imminent. Perhaps there is a new job or a new home that we’re preparing for. There is a sense of excitement about what’s to come. Usually, though, these are all plans that we have made. We are ready and looking forward to them. But what about all the things that happen that are unexpected? Are we looking forward to them? Are we ready to welcome surprises in our lives? For some, the answer is an easy yes, no matter if it seems to be a positive change or an unpleasant challenge. Many will have some level of struggle, depending on the unanticipated result. 

Since we are still in the Christmas season, the example of the Holy Family is one to keep in mind throughout the year, especially when we do face the unforeseen. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem may have been planned by God, but wasn’t expected when Mary and Joseph were initially betrothed. Another curve ball was thrown their way when the angel in Joseph’s dream told him to flee to Egypt. Neither event was easy for them and we will never really appreciate the strength of faith it took for them to participate in God’s salvific will. In our modern day of convenience, any interruption to ease is made into a catastrophe. We’re so accustomed to having things mostly go our way, that we struggle to imagine that the unexpected could result in something positive or will bring about a greater good than our initial expectation.

While it’s good for us to make plans for 2025, perhaps one of the improvements we can practice is to be open to the unexpected. Practice does not mean that we will respond immediately with gladness at every unplanned situation that occurs, nor should we. It means we will reflect on our responses and strive to have a peace-filled approach to future ones, remembering God is with us and allowing Him to bring the best possible outcome regardless of circumstances. And if the surprise is truly unwelcomed, it’s okay to ask God to help us through it. He may not remove the obstacle from our life experience, but He will assist us as we navigate through it.