As Paul and Timothy were on their missionary journey through what is now Turkiye their plans kept getting thwarted. “They had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.” A little lated: “ They tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” It was only after these repeated frustrations that they decided they were supposed to travel into Europe, into Greece, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them. Our plans don’t work out as we intend all too often. We don’t get into the school we applied to, the person we hoped to marry spurned our invitation, the job we wanted didn’t materialize, my ideal family was as dysfunctional as the rest. At those times we need to have the perspective of St. Paul and say that it was the Holy Spirit who blocked our plans. Only then will we be able to see that what God has in store for us is better than our idea.
MAY242025
By Church Staff
