The Gift of Wonder
In today’s second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he marvels at the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God. His words invite us into wonder before a mystery that can never be exhausted. I find myself returning to this passage, especially on days when the weight of the world feels especially heavy and difficult to carry. It brings me consolation to remember Paul's words: "For from him and through him and for him are all things." There is always more unfolding than we can see. There is more at work in our lives than we recognize, whether it be our work, or our relationships, and there is far more taking place in our prayer than we could ever comprehend. God is never absent, even when His work is hidden.
A quote that has circulated widely on social media goes as followed: "If you think you have blown God's plan for your life, rest in this: you are not that powerful." While simple, it carries a profound truth. On those difficult days, it reminds me that the value of my prayer is not measured by what I can immediately perceive or by the visible outcomes I long for. God's providence reaches far beyond the limits of my understanding.
Perhaps the more important question is not, "What is my prayer accomplishing?" but rather, "How can I receive the grace to see?" How can I grow in the vision that recognizes God's love quietly ordering, rearranging, redeeming, and drawing all things toward His glory, although my prayers be small and ordinary?
Our faith is a gift. Our ability to recognize Christ at work in our lives and in the world is itself a grace. Yet the beautiful mystery is that God, who is always present, never tires of revealing Himself. Again and again, He offers us the grace to see, to believe, and to receive Him anew.
May our hearts never lose their capacity for holy wonder. May our curiosity continually awaken us to the magnitude of God and to the astonishing reality of His presence, available even here, even now. And may we become like Peter, who recognized Christ not through human reasoning, but through the grace of the Father.
Alexis Abello lives in a small town, where she reflects on her love of the elderly in her work or the beautiful mysteries of Jesus around her. She kindly asks for prayers, as she discerns her vocation.
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