I have noticed that in
the Old Testament and the start of the New Testament, the Israelites had an
image of the messiah who was going to come deliver them. They wanted a powerful
warrior and king who would come and crush their oppressors, and return them to
the great nation they were in the glorious days of David and Solomon. The
people of Israel had this in mind all the way up to when Jesus came and began
His ministry, suffered, and died. This resulted in them not recognizing
him, not accepting Him, and then crucifying Him, all while they were longing
for and fantasizing about the messiah they thought was yet to come.
Young people of our
world can get so caught up in their own plans and visions of the future, that
they sometimes miss what is going on in front of them that God wants them to
see and envision for their lives. We can sometimes be like the Israelites
of old, yearning for what we don't have, and missing what we have at the
moment.
My uncle passed away
early Wednesday. Tuesday, he was given the Anointing of the Sick from a
Catholic priest of the Archdiocese. Both my parents were there. My
Mom told me that this time was so beautiful. The priest told uncle John
after he had finished that he was as ready to die as he will ever be. In the
prayers he prayed, he told uncle John that God knew him through baptism and
that He loved him and had a plan for his life. The Catholic Church has so
much certainty about death, and God's love and mercy. God has a plan, and
we need to trust Him and let Him take care of us. We have to realize that
He might just be doing something important in the midst of suffering.
The veil was lifted
for me with this. I am a worry wart, and trusting in Jesus is something I
have to daily choose to do. The knowledge that Jesus is real, alive, and
still working miracles is astounding. The fact that my uncle wanted a priest to
come and give him the sacraments was a miracle in itself. I am so glad
uncle John decided to let this miracle happen! God might have a plan for
us, but we need to be open to receiving it. We need to let Him in, and we
need to let Him love us. May God grant us the grace to do all of this, before
it is too late.
Love, Becky
Love, Becky
