Small Details...great Discoveries
Gratitude for the gift of faith
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This scripture passage is very comforting because we are reminded that God’s timing and His plans for our lives are more perfect than our own. “The Lord’s plan stands forever; the intentions can never be shaken” (Psalm 33:11).
We sometimes have little control over things that happen in our lives. God arranges the smallest details of everything around us. He planned the days of our births, and the parents who would be responsible for nurturing our lives to their fullest potentials. God also set a time for each person’s death, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Between these glorious days of birth and death, we have the opportunity to serve God with the greatest emotion – love – because God created us in His image, which is love!
The ways that we use our time and spend our days are important. In the proper time and place pursuing earthly plans is good, but it should not be our first priority in life. Our chief goal is heaven, by virtue of our daily walk with God! A relationship with Him helps us understand when it is time to break down or build up, cast out stones or gather them, a time to embrace or refrain, to speak or be silent, to keep or cast away. We certainly live in a time when all these concerns are very unrestricted by methods of social media.
Jesus references planting and harvesting many times in His parables. This visual of soil and seed help us understand the benefit of preparing, nurturing and securing all that we introduce in our words and actions. We have choices through the free will given to us by God. These choices are challenging, and they also have consequences.
I listened to the press conference with the announcement of Archbishop-elect Charles Thompson for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He mentioned that, as a student at St. Meinrad School of Theology, he never imagined that one day he would serve as the Archbishop of the beautiful Archabbey. How can we follow the great plans God has for us if we are not attentive to our relationship with Him? Obedience to the will of God is a beautiful gift!
Listening to the voices of our souls above the grumbles of the restless and quickly changing world is difficult, but do not lose sight of the tender heart of Jesus, the real source of life. It is not a case of discovering something new, but rediscovering something old, the Word made flesh, in the sacrament of man Himself, Jesus! There is a day of peace coming when Jesus reigns! I pray you hear His voice!
By retiring and relocating to a new area, I have been given the chance to reflect on everything that God has placed in my life with greater clarity. It is incumbent upon all of us to help young people understand the true realities of life: the good, bad and indifferent. Most importantly, we must share with all people that it is never too late to turn to God for guidance. Obedience to Him is redemptive. There is nothing we could do that would make God love us less.....His promises are everlasting! Discover new life in the ageless blessing of the Sacraments instituted by Christ! Remember to thank your priest for the gift! Amen!
