Tuesday December 19, 2023

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“Surprises prove how awesome God is while delighting us with a divine form of entertainment.”

Good News Reflection for:

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
December 19, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

Thank You Lord, for Your surprises in our lives! Sometimes they baffle us; sometimes they frighten us; but they always, always bring us closer to Your Heart. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
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Today’s Readings:

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
Luke 1:5-25
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121923.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-december-19-2023

Surprised by God

In today’s Gospel reading, Zechariah, who is the husband of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, receives a visit from the archangel Gabriel, the same angel who had spoken to Mary. Unlike Mary, Zechariah doesn’t believe the messenger. And he suffers the consequences of his disbelief.

When God sheds his light of truth on a situation in our lives, he usually reveals only the next step we should take. We’re on a long, important journey in an awesome plan of God, and because we cannot see the whole route, we doubt. We worry about what might go wrong. We analyze it logically and come up with reasons why it couldn’t possibly be the Lord’s will. Or we let previous hardships trigger emotional reactions that warn us to go no farther.

If we don’t know how to recognize what our spirit is telling us in its divine connection to the Holy Spirit, we won’t believe the truth even if comes to us in the form of an angel. This is why so many people fail to believe in the actual presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist or in the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. It’s not that they don’t want to believe — they just want it to make sense in their personal worldview. Their inner spirit is speaking a language that they don’t understand.

Zechariah said, “How shall I know this?” He wanted proof. Of course God can provide enough proof to convert the entire world, but then we’d have faith based on logic, not trust. Without trust, there is no desire to stretch our spiritual growth and perfect our dependence on God. Without trust, there’s no room for surprises. God enjoys surprising us! Surprises “prove” how awesome he is while delighting us with a divine form of entertainment.

The next time God sheds light on something that doesn’t make sense to you, instead of waiting for proof or an understandable explanation, tell yourself: “Oh yeah! A new surprise!” It’s like waking up on Christmas morning to discover gifts that you had not expected, gifts that are better than what you had hoped for or requested.

Whenever scriptures or Church teachings or a homily or a friend reveals something that we don’t like, it feels unpleasant, right? That’s because we don’t know how wonderfully awesome God’s plan truly is. In the darkness of our unknowing, we cannot see the wonderful surprise that awaits us. But when we extend to God our trust, we discover a hidden goodness. It’s like looking at Christmas gifts that are wrapped in the paper of unpaid bills. The paper is unpleasant, and we won’t discover the true gift inside until we look past it to see what God wants to give us.

And then guess what! More surprises! This gift is incomplete, because there are more surprises to unwrap, and Christmas morning lasts for a very long time.

Are we going to be like Zechariah, who was dissatisfied with the nonsensical gift that the angel gave him? Or will we choose to trust in the goodness of God and look forward to what he’s going to surprise us with next?

Trust is the midwife that enables us to give birth to Jesus in every situation.

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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