God Works Through the Unlikely

It's been no secret in Christian Spirituality that, as St. Paul said so well:  "God choses the weak to confound the strong, the ignorant to thwart the wise." (1 Cor 1:27)... He chooses and works through the most unlikely. Again in our Marist Lore, we see this principle reiterated over and over.  Today, as we celebrate the Memorial of St. Marcellin Champagnat who died on this day at the age of 52, we reflect on his humble beginnings in the hamlet of Le Rosey  located "in the middle of nowhere", a most unlikely location for the birth of a saint, as was Bethlehem for the birth of the Son of God!  Marcellin was a healthy child in the middle of a family where two of his brothers died before the age of 10.  He was uneducated, and the least likely member of the family to become a priest, the founder of an congregation of educators and a saint.  Human standards and measurements do not add up to this result, yet, that's what happened.  The "hidden factor"?  God's grace, all God's DOING.  Marcellin simply complied with faith, generosity, trust and determination.  These are not lost treasures and can still be found in the hearts of people today.  Let us pray that with God's grace, a happy concoction may result among some of the most unlikely, vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, and sainthood.  Nothing is impossible with God. (cf. Lk 1: 27)
Bro. Rene