Posted by The WORD in Other Words by Fr Carlos Macatanga SVD (Canada) for Wednesday 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Be prepared… for surprises!
In 2018 we celebrated the 50th Wedding Anniversary of our parents: Celso & Josefina Macatangga. It took us almost a year to prepare a simple, beautiful and meaningful celebration.Despite all our preparations, there werestill surprises that we were unprepared for. A week before the celebration, my mother was hospitalized several days because of hypertension. My dad? He was hospitalized the night before their “wedding.” We had to sign a waiver so that he could join us on the day of the celebration with a promise that he would go back to the hospital right after the mass and reception.
In spite of all these hitches, my family is grateful to God for allowing us to celebrate this milestone with our parents. During his short reflection, my dad was excited to stand next to the woman he loved and to renew their vows before their children, but only if this waspart of what God had prepared for him. My dad is always ready to accept the will of God for him and for us. This is his Faith.
We can indeed have the best preparations for some of the things in life but definitely only GOD can prepare us for everything in life! On our part, we must constantly strive to do what is required of us: “to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… and to love your neighbor as yourself.”
At the end of the day, the best celebration is that which God has prepared for us. It will be the best surprise ever!
– Fr. Carlos Macatangga, SVD (Canada)
