Expect the Unexpected by Father Ian Maher Luke 4.18-22 Life if certainly full of surprises and does not always turn out the way we expect. Good things and bad can arise out of the blue through events and circumstances that we have no way of anticipating ahead of time. A year ago, who would have thought that a virus originating from a Chinese market could change our world in such a devastating way? When we receive a good surprise, it is a source of great joy and happiness. Such things as an unexpected phone call from a friend with whom we had lost touch; or travelling and noticing something of great beauty that we could never have imagined as we set off; or we might find ourselves on the receiving end of an act of kindness from someone we least expect but which makes a real difference. But when we receive a negative surprise, shock would be a better word, it affects us very differently. Our lives may be shaken to the core when receiving news about the illness or death of a loved one; we can be deeply upset by the words or actions of someone we trust but who lets us down; or we can be left in turmoil as best laid plans are left in tatters when something goes wrong.
For good and for ill there is an unpredictability to life that needs to be appreciated if we are to make the most of what we have. In so doing it enables us to be open to the possibility of surprises whether good or bad. Put another way, we must learn to expect the unexpected.
The lives of all of us have been profoundly impacted, some devastatingly so, by the virus. In fact, we are all being changed by this experience. Our lives will be measured in part as BV and AV. Before the virus, and after the virus.
In the gospels Jesus confounded many people who had little or no expectation of him. They certainly did not expect a carpenter from Nazareth to be the Messiah though some, in time, came to be amazed by his words and deeds.
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