No worries. Just trying to figure things out. From the first question God asks Adam, “Where are you?” in Genesis to Jesus asking the two disciples of John the Baptist, “What are you looking for?” in the beginning of the Gospel of John and the Risen Christ asking the two disciples, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” at the end of Luke and asking Mary, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” and asking Peter, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” and “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” at the end of the Gospel of John and asking Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” in Acts, it seems like God is trying to figure us out just as much as we are trying to figure Him out. This, and a lot more questions than answers, has made me wonder if the word “plan” is the correct way of looking at God’s actions. That’s all.

Thanks for responding to my post.

Mark

Mark, trying to discern what God’s plans are for us is one of the age-old questions humanity faces. Whole books have been written on the topic, and I won’t pretend any special insight or wisdom. My views are my own; please consider asking your local priest before making any life-altering decisions! 🙂

Having said that…

First, it’s important to know what God’s plans are for humanity. Each individual plan of God for us must be part of that larger plan. The classic Baltimore Catechism summarized the answer to “Why did God make me?” as, “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next.”

Fortunately, Jesus was really clear about how we can serve God. Feed the hungry, take care of one another, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, and so on. (The Corporeal Works of Mercy are a great starting point.) Scripture and Tradition are also clear about how we might know God: prayer, reflection, Communion, and the like. (The Spiritual Works of Mercy can be useful to bring us closer to God.)

So, we know — in the broad sense — what God wants us to do. But in the smaller scale, how do we turn that into action? How do we know whether God wants us to pursue a religious life, or experience the Sacrament of Matrimony? Whether God wants us to spend our free time at a prison ministry or as part of the church choir?

In my mind, when I’m following what I believe is God’s plan, it feels easier. There is a flow to life. Things that seemed impossible are straightforward; tasks that seemed onerous are doable.

For example, when I decided to move across country to the same state as the gal who became my wife, I was not yet a full Catholic (although I was on the road to doing so). That trip required me to completely pack my old apartment, load a 24-foot truck, and drive that truck 1,000 miles while towing my car. I’d only learned to drive about two years earlier, and it was (and remains) the longest trip of my life. And yet, it was straightforward. I was calm. I won’t say it was trivial, but the impossible became real in a way that’s difficult to describe. That journey was the beginning of my full relationship with my future wife, and our marriage has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. And we’ve done a fair bit of God’s work together . . . raising a child in a Catholic household, volunteering, speaking at church events, and so on.

And I’ve had similar experiences with other events. My wife and I are fairly significant introverts, but we managed (several times) to give very well-received presentations to couples about to be married in the church . . . and it was always easier than we expected. I’ve volunteered for multi-year commitments at Church where scheduling hasn’t been a problem (although I feared it would at the time). Our household has made financial commitments to charities and the Church I feared we would struggle to pay, but we didn’t have problems. And so on.

Conversely, I suspect I’m acting antithetical to God’s plan for me when the things I try are harder than I imagined. My wife and I taught religious education for several years. Although it was rewarding (and we may do it again in the future), it was also incredibly difficult. Tiny classes that should have been easy to instruct left us exhausted. Lesson plans that should have been trivial to assemble took us hours. And so on. Eventually, we dropped out of teaching at the end of our third year, fearful that our exasperation would be noticeable to the kids.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be struggles with some actions God wants us to do. (The Bible is full of folks doing what they were supposed to and still having to overcome obstacles.) And it doesn’t mean that we can’t pursue certain actions despite God seeming to resist us; perhaps God is willing to change His mind, or just wants us to prove to Him that we really want it (there’s Biblical justification for both).

It’s also important to keep in mind God wants humanity to do in the broad sense; otherwise, it’s trivial to trick ourselves that something that feels easy is God’s will. (It’s really easy for me to sit on the couch, eat snacks, and watch television all day . . . but I also recognize that doesn’t serve any of God’s broader plans for humanity.) But, for me, God’s plan has always felt easier.

I hope that helps!

I love how you related the first reading with today’s Gospel reading. We are an impatient society. Now is not quick enough.

I do have a question though. You speak of God and “His plans” and “…knowing that God has a plan for us…”. What are they? One must take into account free will, but also look at the hardening of the Pharaoh’s heart by God, the suffering of Job and the work of Judas (and Caiaphas) to name a few examples of how “He has touched our hearts” in ways that aren’t particularly nice.

Yes, God is just and “…the desires of the human heart are evil from youth…”. I understand that. But in this in-between time of waiting, I do question what “His plans” are.

Keep up the good work.

Mark