Being as close to Philadelphia as I am, St. Katharine’s feast day is obligatory. She, along with her parents, are remembered for their philanthropy and kindness to everyone who came to their front door.
It should come as no surprise that we Little Flowers remember her attached to the virtue of generosity.
Today, I am meditating on the conversation she had with Pope Leo XIII. On a tour of Europe with her sisters, she had an audience with him asking him to please send missionaries to the Native Americans. He listened carefully and then asked, ‘why don’t you go yourself?’
This question comes at the same time I just read, “Do you really believe God has a plan for your life?” by Jennifer Roback Morse over at the Nat’l Catholic Register.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/do-you-really-believe-god-has-a-plan-for-your-life
It is consoling to remember that this plan can be discovered (or renewed) at any age. Saint Katharine found her vocation to be a missionary around the age of 28, while there are other saints who discovered God’s plan much later than that. St. Louise de Marillac or Servant of God Dorothy Day come to mind here.
It is never too late to discover His plan and once you do remember to pray about that plan daily. It can come from our morning offering or just a mumbled, ‘so, what should I do today, Lord?’ as we awaken.
From planning dinner or when to take a vacation, good planning makes for an easier day and a more fulfilling experience. Granted, God is not micromanaging your meals as chicken is just as good as fish. He thinks a trip to the beach is a great idea as is camping in the mountains. He just asks you be prudent in all your planning, taking into consideration your spouse’s ideas, family circumstances and making sure you remember to keep Him close by, where ever you are.
Mrs. Morse’s article is not about dinner or vacations but the big stuff. She asks, “Do you really believe that God has a plan for the world and for your life? Then trust that plan. Do you really believe God has a plan for your life? Then discover and work that plan. Everything else is a waste of time. Heaven knows, we have no time to waste in the defense of the truths of the faith, and the building of a better world.”
We all know our plans can change due to circumstances out of our hands: illness, unemployment, weather. But keeping on our focus on what God’s plan is for us gives us direction and stability when the world is turned upside down.
(If St. Katharine Drexel’s story is of interest, consider getting a copy of our “The People’s Princess” by Joan Stromberg – https://www.beholdpublications.com/wordpress1/product/the-peoples-princess-a-st-katharine-drexel-story/?v=2320522a6676 )
