As I approached the line for Communion, I felt the words of the Gospel echo in my heart strongly inviting a response.
“Can you drink the cup?”
Feeling a bit fearful, I responded, “Yes!” in my heart to God, and I said, “Amen” aloud as the priest handed me the chalice.
I was on retreat serving as a retreat leader with my friend during the summer after our freshman year of college, and I was feeling grateful to have a reprieve from the chaos happening at home.
But hours later, I was doubled over in pain experiencing burning chills, a dangerously high fever, and nearly losing consciousness. Despite me insisting that I would be okay, the staff took me to the hospital, and the doctors diagnosed me with a severe case of pneumonia.
A part of me felt like it was a mean trick from God.
Especially during the slow recovery that took over six months, this illness took away all the plans that were set and ready for the next month's semester abroad in Austria with all my friends. The slow recovery nearly prevented me from returning to college at all and severely limited me from the number of classes and activities that I could attend. I experienced many personal losses on multiple levels for a very long time, and at the same time I received so many blessings that would not have been as sweet or rich had they been given in any other way.
God’s invitation to greatness is beyond our human understanding of it. Whether suffering from our sickbed, bearing the responsibilities of caring for children in family life, the loneliness of loss or sadness of prayers still unanswered, God’s invitation to service and intimacy with Him may look different than we have planned and expected.
Take a few moments today to sit with today’s Gospel passage (Mark 10:35-45) and ask God to reveal to you the greatness of His plan for you, even though parts of it may still be clouded in darkness and mystery. Glory waits for you on the other side.
[bctt tweet="God’s invitation to greatness is beyond our human understanding of it. // Mary Catherine Craige " username="blessedisshe__"]
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