Trusting the creativity of God in bad times

Good News Reflection
Wednesday of the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 8, 2010

Today's Readings:
Romans 8:28-30 (or Micah 5:1-4)
Ps 13:6
Matt 1:1-16, 18-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/090810.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_09_08.mp3

Trusting the creativity of God in bad times

The reading from Romans 8:28-30 reminds us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Even the bad things that happen to us will get put to good use if we entrust them to the creativity of our all-powerful, mercifully loving God.

The Jews who read or heard the recitation of Jesus' genealogy in today's Gospel reading saw this spiritual principle illustrated. The list of Christ's ancestors demonstrated that the Messiah came from a long line of sinners. The point of this reading: Despite the errors of the people, God accomplished his salvation plans.

For example, everyone knew that Jacob tricked Essau into selling his birthright. If Jacob had behaved himself, Essau would have become the family's patriarch and the genealogical line would have gone off in a different direction. But Jacob became one of the founding fathers of Judaism. From his line came Joseph, the husband of Mary. If Essau had become head of the family, would Joseph still have been the foster father of the Messiah?

God's plans are always accomplished, eventually, one way or another. By putting God in charge of our lives, rather than taking matters into our own hands out of frustration and impatience, realizing that his timing is always perfect, and remembering that his plans are always good, we realize that we can and should have hope and joy, even while we suffer in the moment of today's trials.

God has fun making good come from evil. I can picture him smirking at Satan and saying (like we did as children when we tricked the bullies), "Nah-nah, nah-nah-nah! You didn't get your way after all. I'm bigger than you are!"

What mishaps have discouraged you? What sins have diverted your path from God's plans? What problems have other people caused you? What mistakes have you made that you strongly wish had never happened?

Is God bigger than these? Does he care about you enough to make them useful for your growth? Does he want to make them work as blessings so that he can achieve another victory for his kingdom? Of course yes!

Is God imaginative enough to find a way to do what seems impossible? Of course yes!

So, why are you limiting your hopes to what only seems possible in your limited perspective? God enjoys doing the unexpected. He enjoys surprising us. And yet, we should not be surprised that he wants to turn bad times into blessings.

Consider what we celebrate today, September 8th. Mary was born without the affects of Original Sin so that she could later carry God in her totally human womb. If the Divine Father of Mary could do the impossible once for the sake of his salvation plan, he can do it again and again. And he wants to!

God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him and respond to his calling to serve his purposes. You have been called. Do not worry about things that go wrong, for God will develop awesome plans from them and despite them.

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© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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