{"id":30269,"date":"2017-06-03T17:34:46","date_gmt":"2017-06-03T21:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=30269"},"modified":"2017-06-04T13:14:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-04T17:14:21","slug":"the-unforeseeable-fruit-of-abandonment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-unforeseeable-fruit-of-abandonment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unforeseeable Fruit of Abandonment","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
\n for June\u00a03rd, 2017
\n Saturday\u00a0of the Seventh Week of Easter
\n Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions<\/p>\n

Liturgical texts here<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IT <\/strong>rarely seems that any good can come of suffering, especially in the midst of it. Moreover, there are times when, according to our own reasoning, the path that we’ve set forward would bring about the most good. “If I get this job, then… if I am physically healed, then… if I go there, then….”\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then, we hit a dead-end. Our\u00a0solutions evaporate and plans unravel. And in those moments, we can be tempted to say, “Really, God?”<\/p>\n

St. Paul knew he had a mission to preach the Gospel. But several times he was thwarted, whether by the Spirit, shipwreck, or persecution. In each of those times, his abandonment to God’s Will produced an unforeseen fruit. Take Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. For two years, he was confined to his desk, literally in chains.\u00a0But had it not been for those chains, the letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon may never have been written. Paul could never have foreseen the fruit of his suffering, that those letters would eventually be read by\u00a0billions\u2014<\/em>though his faith told him that God works all things to the good for those who love Him. [1]<\/sup><\/a>cf. Rom 8:28<\/span><\/span>