God of Surprises


"God is always a surprise. You never know how or where you will find him. You are not
setting the time and the place of your encounter with him. You must therefore discern
the encounter."
                                                                         -Pope Francis
I'm sure that the election of a progressive Jesuit cardinal from Argentina was not the expected
choice of a successor to Pope St. John Paul II. The election of Donald Trump as president
was a surprise to many also. Sometimes we are not happy with the surprise, but we must
discern the message.

We expect to find God in prayer, in the chapel, in the cemetery, in the cathedral, yet he is
often more present in simple ordinary places and times. God comes in very unexpected
people: in the homeless veteran on the street, in the young girl whose mother just died,
in the weary bus driver on his last run, in the old woman lonely and afraid, in the prisoner on
death row. God comes in the early morning stillness, in the stunning rainbow, in the blindng
sunlight, in the sparkle of fresh-fallen snow.

Image result for pic god of surprisesWe have to be ready to encounter God anywhere, 
anytime. He is anxious to reveal himself. Most of the
time it is we who are unaware of his presence. When we
get a diagnosis of cancer,we are not only surprised, but
shocked. It may be hard to see God in this revelation. It
may take a while to discover his tender loving presence
in the chance to live more consciously in the time we
have, perhaps to be reconciled with a family member
before we die. As Pope Francis reminds us, we must
 "discern the encounter."
-- Pope Francis
Image result for pic god of surprises




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Limping to God I come to you, God, weather-beaten and limping, asking for forgiveness for all the times I have failed to be faithful and attentive to all those around me, especially the elderly who have run the race, the poor, the lonely and abandoned, who need my care and concern.     Is there any hope for these old bones? What will it take to change my limp into a surge of energy and a ready step? Teach me to become more caring, more responsive, more aware. Give me eyes to see and the will to act on my good intentions.   Water my dried up spirit and shriveled body, expand my shrunken heart. Give me eyes to see what you are leading me to do even as my bones creak and my legs become unsteady. Make me remember that I am here to serve, to listen, to be ready to be your hands and feet today.   Barbara Mayer, OSB    
Read more
Image
    “Wonderfully Made” When I took a college English course, our first assignment was to write an essay about whether we would rather lose our sight or lose our legs. It was a thought-provoking choice. If we became blind, we would miss seeing our loved ones and all the beauty of our world. If we could not walk, we would be hindered from traveling and moving around without help. I chose to keep my eyesight since I love to read and write and enjoy the variety and beauty that surrounds us.   Of course, I’m glad I didn’t have to make that choice in real life, but it was a thought-provoking assignment. It made me think about how much we take our bodies for granted. I began to think about all the organs, veins, arteries, canals, nerves, and bones we have in our bodies and how they all work together to keep us alive and healthy. It is not until we lose one of them that we realize how magnificent we are, created in the “image and likeness of God.” God loves each and every one of us as if
Read more
Image
  Overcoming Discouragement Sometimes discouragement and failure take over our lives, and we cannot seem to crawl out of our hole. Even if in reality they are not a true picture, we can be blinded by the seeming darkness.  It often takes another person to uncover what is hidden from us and to see through the cloudy picture.  I am reminded of a story about Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He tells of how he felt his dream of starting a group for people with drinking problems was not going anywhere. Then unexpectedly Father Dowling, a disheveled priest, came to his door in the middle of a snowstorm. Bill’s caretaker told him that a “damn bum” was at the door. Bill was tired but agreed to see him and in doing so had his “second conversion experience.” Bil and Father Dowling talked way into the night, and Bill told of his “high hopes and plans, and spoke about his anger, despair and mounting frustrations.”  It turned out that the elderly priest had had similar feel
Read more