God's Vision For Us

NB: Apologies for not posting yesterday:  I did not have my new password with me.  All set now.

We are getting closer to Christmas, and fittingly, the Gospel for today harkens back to the Annunciation, as Mary must have done often as she pondered the events of her life, to tie the events together for us and help us appreciate more how God's Vision is not always what we envision, but better!
Mary was looking forward to a happy and normal life with Joseph, but Gabriel's intervention on the part of God, changed all that forever, for her and for us.  St. Francis dreamed of knighthood, but sickness, an encounter with a leper, and the command of Jesus to "rebuild my house, which you see is falling into ruins," changed that dream to one simpler, yet more spectacular in scope.  Indeed, thousands of Franciscans around the word are continuing the Church rebuilding begun by Francis.  Pope Francis, himself, never dreaming of being Pope, continues this project.
Each one of us, especially the young whose whole life is in front of them, have plans and dreams, yet God can intervene and give us a vision and desire for something far different from those plans.  I heard a young man say recently, "I never thought I could give up such and such."  When God calls, there is freedom to say no, but usually his call comes with a power too compelling to resist.
Bro. Rene