A young woman brought her fiance home to meet her parents, and after dinner, her mother told the father to find out something about the young man. So the father invited the fiance to his study for a talk. “So what are your plans, young man?” The father asked him. “Sir, I am a bible scholar.”

“Oh, a bible scholar,” replied the father, “Very interesting. But what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter who has to live?” “Sir, I will study and God will provide for us.” The father said, “Well, how will you buy a beautiful engagement ring, one that she so deservedly would deserve?” Asked the father. “Sir, I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied, “And god will provide for us.”

“And children?” Asked the father, “How will you support children?” “Don’t worry sir. God will provide for us.” Replied the young man. Later, the woman asked her husband, “How did the conversation go with our future son-in-law?” The father answered, “He has no job, no plans, and he thinks I’m God.” Well, God does provide. We are also the face of God, and our call to love this world back into life. I was struck by the last line of today’s Gospel.

Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Yes, there have been times in my own life when I didn’t understand why things were happening the way they did. Only in retrospect does a plan of God begin to unfold. Only much later, can I look back and thank God. Though other times, I simply do not understand how the plan of God is unfolding. The waters of our life don’t always run smoothly, and the winds of unrest and shattered dreams may blow strong. It was never a question of: Are we hurting? Rather, where am I hurting?

Father Ronald Rolheiser once wrote this. “We all carry a lot of disappointment, frustrations, and sadness inside of us. Our hearts, minds, and dreams are huge, wonderfully and incurably restless. Sometimes, we ask why. We’ve all been blessed with so many gifts and the turbulent waters and winds of life will be calmed if we turn our sails in the Lord’s direction. In our life, act as if everything depended upon you and trust if everything depended upon God.