We often feel overwhelmed by the problems that suddenly arise in our lives. The plans we once set out for ourselves never materialize, and we often become stubborn in trying to follow our own plan.
That happened to me when I graduated from college at the end of 2007. I had plans to get a really good job at a company here in the United States, daydreaming about it all the time. I had several interviews, which came down to the wire, but ended quickly when I answered one simple question: “Are you a permanent resident or a citizen?” Even though I had a work permit, they didn’t get the job because they didn’t want to deal with the paperwork.
Those were tough times, and I didn’t give up. My stubbornness caused a lot of stress and prevented me from realizing that there were other ways for personal development. God has a plan for us, even if it’s hard for us to accept. That path often leads to the opposite of what we had hoped for – I had to clean offices and bathrooms for a long time until I found a job in my field.
In today’s Gospel, we see a man preparing a great banquet, but none of the guests wanted to come. They all had their excuses and other plans. What awaited them was delicious food, a beautiful venue, and pleasant company, but they rejected it. How many times are we like those people? The banquet of God’s plans awaits us, and we reject it by following the rice and beans of our own plans.
The positive side of my personal experience was that I was able to pay off the credit cards I had used during my time in college. After a few years, I also saw the fruit of this because by the time I got married, I had very little debt. The lesson here is to be open to change – God’s ways are amazing.
Let us not stray from God or be sad when things seem to be going wrong. As the first reading says, “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” Surrender your plans to God in prayer and tell Him “Thy will be done.”
Daily Reading
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Malachi 3:19-20a Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will…
Saint of the Day
St. Joseph Moscati
St. Joseph Moscati
Feast date: Nov 16
On November 16, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph Moscati, the first modern medical doctor to be canonized. Born on July 25, 1880 in Benevento, Italy, he lived out the Gospel through his position as a teacher and physician. There are a number of stories of Dr. Moscati paying close attention to the state of his patient’s soul as well as the body, sometimes even bringing the patient back to the sacraments. The Catholic understanding of body and soul clearly informed his understanding of illness and medicine. He saw Confession and Communion as the “first medicine.”He is quoted as once having said, “Remember that you have to deal not only with the bodies but also with the moaning souls coming to you.”Dr. Moscati’s holiness and devotion wasn’t just limited to his practice. To help the poor, he often donated his medical services or paid for his patients’ prescriptions. St. Joseph Moscati also felt it was important to support priests and those in religious life with his prayers because, as he said: “They are easily forgotten by the living, since Christians often think that they do not need prayers.”He carried a Rosary in his pocket as a reminder throughout his day and as a way to draw him to Our Lady — and through her, to Jesus — when he needed to make important decisions.St. Joseph Moscati died on April 12, 1927 of natural causes in his office between patient appointments. He was beatified on November 16, 1975 by Pope Paul VI and canonized on October 25, 1987 by Pope John Paul II. His body rests in Naples, Italy, in the Church of Gesu Nuovo.