“Providence, not human prudence, succeeds.”

Providence chooses the humble and confounds the worldly wise. - Blessed Luigi Guanella: (1842–1915: Catholic priest from Northern Italy. He is the founder of several religious institutes.)

Gospel Text: (MT 10:7-15)
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

Divine Providence means that God rules the world and everything in it. Nothing happens by chance. Everything that happens in this world is either positively willed by God or at least permitted by him. And to those who love him all things even the evil works together for good.

God has a plan for our life. But just like other architects who use contractors and subcontractors to execute their plans, so God submits the execution of his plans to secondary causes, to creatures. And often, because our faith is weak we do not see behind this person or that event, the loving providing hand of God.

We want to see the plan working out in all of its details, and according to our way of thinking. “But our thoughts and our ways are not God’s thoughts and God’s ways.” According to our way of thinking the necessary effect of a life of virtue is esteem, joy, tranquility and success. And a life of sin and vice necessarily brings misery, shame and failure. But how different are the thoughts of God who sometimes blesses us with failure and curses us with success.

Not only do we want to see the plan of our life working out in all of its details and according to our way of thinking, we also want to see it worked out now. We live in a world of speed and instant results. We forget that our lifetime is only a moment in God’s eternity. And it is for Him to determine when the “fullness of time will be.”