Doing the Will of God

God has a great plan also in what we call the unexpected. It isnʼt unexpected to God. He
planned it from all eternity. There is no happenstance in life, certainly not in the spiritual life. So
often we say, “Oh, I didnʼt expect that to happen!” Well, God did. We could think, “Oh, that is what
caused everything to go wrong,” but actually that is what is supposed to make everything go right.
There is nothing unexpected in all of creation. There is a plan in what we would call the
unexpected. Wasnʼt the Incarnation the most unpredictable thing that could ever have happened?
God has his whole master plan for each of our lives, for the community, for the Church, and we
should delight to remember that nothing should ever take us by surprise, except the wonder of
Godʼs plan.
Our Lady was certainly not expecting the Annunciation, and the whole plan of redemption was
most unexpected to humanity - the whole idea of it, that the Fatherʼs divine Son, himself God,
should become man, should be incarnated through the agency of this young, unknown girl in a city
of which someone was to say, “Can any good come out of that little place?” What was more
unexpected? This was the whole plan.

Fr. Bernard J. Campbell, OFM Cap