{"id":367,"date":"2012-08-24T16:43:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-24T16:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2012\/08\/god-of-surprises.html"},"modified":"2016-03-25T19:56:53","modified_gmt":"2016-03-26T00:56:53","slug":"god-of-surprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2012\/08\/god-of-surprises.html","title":{"rendered":"God of surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Last weekend a parishioner came into the sacristy before Mass with a plastic grocery bag. \u00a0She approached me and said, \u201cFather, my neighbor\u2019s daughter gave me this when my neighbor died and I have no idea what it is. \u00a0All I know is that it came from Rome.\u201d \u00a0Getting curious about what the brown plastic bag contained, I asked her if I could see it.<\/p>\n

I smiled in disbelief when I saw the bag\u2019s content and said, \u201cI know exactly what it is.\u201d \u00a0She looked surprised. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a commemorative plaque from 1959 celebrating the one hundred years of the founding of my alma mater, the seminary I attended.\u201d \u00a0We were both amazed. She asked if I\u2019d like to keep the wooden plaque with the hand painted coat of arms of the seminary, I happily accepted.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had this very unlikely event floating in my mind for the past few days. \u00a0What are the chances? \u00a0How can such an ordinary event be transformed into a surprisingly joyful and amazing exchange for both of us? \u00a0I honestly thought she would show me a statue of an obscure saint or some insignificant trinket, but I was very wrong.<\/p>\n

I am convinced God loves surprises, and through them He fills us with joy. \u00a0The archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary with an unexpected, joyful surprise. \u00a0Jesus healed the lame and sick surprising all the witnesses. \u00a0Jesus rose from the dead after three days, shocking his disciples. \u00a0What a surprise when Mary Magdalene announced to them, \u201cI have seen the Lord!\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately we oftentimes dislike surprises because they tend to destabilize things. \u00a0We want everything to be under control. \u00a0We get flustered and aggravated when things do not go exactly according to plan. \u00a0Yet consider this, had the Virgin Mary not been open to surprise and had she wanted to retain control over her life, she probably would have said \u201cno\u201d to the archangel. \u00a0The more open we become to the presence of God in our lives, the more He will surprise us through ordinary and extraordinary events. \u00a0The more we trust Jesus Christ has truly overcome the world, the more moldable we will become, gladly allowing His surprises to mold our will according to His own.<\/p>\n

The greatest surprise God has played in my personal life is the Priesthood. \u00a0Now as a priest He continues to surprise me every day. \u00a0Allow God to surprise you, follow His lead, and you will find joy and fulfillment.<\/p>\n

Pictures are mine, all rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Last weekend a parishioner came into the sacristy before Mass with a plastic grocery bag. \u00a0She approached me and said, \u201cFather, my neighbor\u2019s daughter gave me this when my neighbor died and I have no idea what it is. \u00a0All I know is that it came from Rome.\u201d \u00a0Getting curious about what the brown […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGod of surprises<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  Last weekend a parishioner came into the sacristy before Mass with a plastic grocery bag. \u00a0She approached me and said, \u201cFather, my neighbor\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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