Earlier this week I was on retreat (yes, retreat again) with our 8th Grade graduating class. It is always a blessing to share some time with our children from our parish school and recognizing the gifts these wonderful young people share as they talk about their faith and pray together for each other and the world.
One of the activities they were asked to do was to write a letter to their future self, next year, which they will receive. Of course we should all look forward to who we wish to become, what we wish to do, how we accomplish the ultimate goal which is always heaven and holiness.
Adults continually do this with work, family and play. I talk with families who have vacation and plans laid out sometimes years in advance. High school students who have goals of college and career well into the future. And, of course, shorter term wishes by the children who look forward to camps in the summer of presents at Christmas.
But what happens when life interrupts our plans, goals and wishes? What happens within our lives and especially our relationships with family, friends and God?
These are important questions because life is always full of interruptions. Plans are great but as the famous saying goes…we make plans and God laughs. He laughs not because he doesn’t want us to succeed or be happy, he laughs because he knows us and knows plans are always waiting for the next interruption to occur.
In my own life I can go down a long list of plans that have been interrupted by many things. We can start in high school. I wanted to be a Marine. I did become a Marine but during the time I was serving I found out that being a Marine wasn’t my dream…I wasn’t called to serve above the four years of my enlistment. The plan of being a Marine was interrupted by reality. In college I wanted to study German. I did go to Germany, and the University of Constance, for a year but I soon discovered that my language ability was not great and I enjoyed the beer tasting as much as the learning of language. After graduating Holy Names College (now Holy Names University) I was at a loss of what to do…I really didn’t have a plan or focus…and this is where interruptions and God happen…I went to New Mexico to work for a summer at a wilderness camp and stayed two years as a teacher…which led me to seek a teaching credential…be employed at St. Lawrence the Martyr Middle School in Santa Clara…which challenged me to grow in my faith as I talked, taught and learned with my sixth grade classes and their parents…ending with finally hearing and accepting the call to priesthood.
I know that at times of being lost, if we have our hearts open to God’s gentle voice, we are able to hear the plan God has for each of us. And don’t get me wrong, I continued to try and plan out God’s plan for me over and over again…being frustrated with God, angry with God but always in conversation with God knowing that in my call to serve God as a priest, just as we are all called in our proper vocations, we find peace, joy and happiness in the life we are called to live.
Our Sunday Gospel and Reflection remind us of this truth, of seeing and hearing the presence of God within our lives. It is the faith based hope that goes beyond the ordinary and mundane into the glorious and eternal life with God. Our true goal is to align hour hearts with God’s goal for us….and sometimes the only way to find this goal is to become lost and then listen for the gentle whisper of love.
God bless
Fr. mark