Pope Leo made a remark in his general audience last week that captures the heart of the Christian life:
I would like to say, especially to the young, do not wait, but respond enthusiastically to the Lord who calls us to work in his vineyard. Do not delay, roll up your sleeves, because the Lord is generous and you will not be disappointed!
But perhaps his most compelling words came in his greeting to Spanish speakers: “I can say from my own experience that God will surprise you!”
God’s loving surprises are a great gift of being his child. When you hand over your life to God, you will be amazed again and again at the wonders He will work.
Wonders from God
Pope Leo’s comment struck a chord because this very topic was the heart of my Well-Read Mom book club’s discussion last week.
We had just finished reading Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell, a novel with several characters who “wrestle in prayer” for one another.
“Have you encountered similar ‘prayer warriors’ in your own life?” was our discussion prompt.
What followed was a remarkable outpouring of stories filled with God’s goodness. “It was the best Well-Read Mom discussion we’ve ever had,” one woman said.
Here are just a few of the stories:
- One woman, a Protestant physician assistant, became close friends with a patient who was a Franciscan nun. “You need to get married! I am praying for you to meet a good man,” this sweet elderly nun would tell her. Soon after, she met a good man … who just happened to be Catholic! She became Catholic too and today is a happily married mother of five.
- One woman shared that, during a time when she and her husband were trying to have a child, her husband sustained a serious injury that was predicted to leave him blind in one eye. They begged prayers from St. Lucy. Her husband had a near-miraculous recovery and today has full vision. And they conceived soon after … a little girl named Lucy!
- I shared my own story that I prayed a Novena of the Immaculate Conception to meet my future husband. On the very last day of the novena, just minutes after I prayed the final prayer, the man who would become my husband decided to ask me on our first date.
These stories come from just one small group of women sharing for one evening. Imagine the countless stories like this happening all over the world — people standing in awe at the mind-boggling ways God surprised them.
Your invitation to wonder
Pope Leo acknowledged how meaningless life can feel in our fragmented modern world: “Indeed, at times we have the impression that we cannot find meaning for our lives: we feel useless, inadequate.”
But when we “respond enthusiastically” to God’s call for us, he said, God will amaze us with his blessings.
In my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium, we sing a simple song that captures this truth:
The Lord is my shepherd
I’ll walk with him always
He leads me and he loves me
I’ll walk with him always
What does it look like to walk with our Good Shepherd, to let him lead us?
Life with God is an incredible adventure. Don’t miss out on the gifts and surprises he has in store for you. As Pope Leo reminds us, when we roll up our sleeves and say yes to God's call, we won't be disappointed.
