Today this memory from Facebook appeared and though many may think it as just a mere simple coincidence, it begs to ask are there such things as coincidences?
I believe we can find the answer in the work of my professor, Dr. Karlo Broussard, published on Catholic Answers. He states: “The answer to this question is both yes and no, but in different respects. Relative to our human perspective, things do happen by chance. St. Thomas Aquinas noted, ‘In this world some things seem to happen by luck or chance’ (Summa Theologiae I:116:1). But he goes on to explain that something is lucky or chance-like only when compared to inferior causes. When compared to some higher cause, the event is seen as directly intended.”
Dr. Broussard gives examples: suppose I ask my daughter to stop by the grocery store for milk, and I also send my son for eggs without telling him she will be there. To them, their meeting seems chance; to me, it is directly intended. Or if I command a hired hand to dig in a field where I know treasure lies, he thinks he found it by luck, but I intended it. So too with events in our lives: relative to us they appear chance, but relative to God, who directs everything according to His divine plan, nothing occurs by chance.
This week I find myself in Lima, Peru, far from our quiet and slow-paced mission post. I am here with a sweet young lady you may remember from last year, who was separated from her partner due to violence and was about to give birth to her third child. She did give birth to a baby boy, but he died only hours after birth. Needless to say, she was traumatized. What made matters even more heartbreaking was that the doctors convinced her to undergo what is medically called a tubal ligation, to prevent any more pregnancies.
Fast forward a year: Amelida and her partner Victor are now on a new journey, a journey with Christ. They are taking baby steps, as we all often do, but they are indeed in the stage of curiosity and seeking. They ask questions about the sacraments, about our mission, and about Jesus Himself. Praise be to God, they have come a long way. Yet when we talk about the meaning and vocation of marriage, and the couple’s role as co-creators with God in bringing forth life, it pierces their hearts each time because of what happened last year.
This is one of the reasons I am currently in Lima. We made the long journey from our small Caserio (Pueblo) to visit a doctor recommended by one of the physicians who joined our medical mission in July. We came to seek a consultation to see if it is possible to repair the tubal ligation, so that she might be able to have children again. In my prayers over the past several months, I have asked our Lord to guide me in helping restore this young woman’s dignity. I never imagined I would be here in Lima with her and Victor, seeking reversal surgery — and on the feast day of Saint Rose of Lima, patroness of this city.
Now as we now know, there are no coincidences, only directly intended divine occurrences which makes this story even more Divine as Ten years ago, before I was even serving as a foreign missionary, I posted the following quote from Santa Rosa de Lima (really having no connection with her other than the words she wrote) which pierced my heart then, and pierces it again today for so many different reasons: “Without the burden of afflictions, it is impossible to reach the height of grace.”
Indeed these are not at all coincidences, Gods divine plan, and a Saint that befriended me in Missions before I even really knew who she was.
Prayer “Lord Jesus, as Saint Rose of Lima taught, ‘without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace.’ Strengthen Amelida as she suffers regret and console her in her afflictions. May she discover that the crosses we carry are the true stairway to paradise. Pray for Victor to grow in faith and courage, like Saint Joseph. Pray that if it is Your will for her to undergo reversal surgery, you will provide the necessary funds. And pray for Gabriel and me, that we may continue to take up our crosses, dying to self so that we may serve the poor well. Amen.”
Mission Post:
Casa de Santa María Magdalena:
Caserio Santa Clara, Amazonas, Peru
Follow the link below to learn more about Santa Maria Magdalena´s home, its mission, and how to partner with us.
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