IS GOD INVOLVED?

 Here’s one of my favorite stories from the early days of the monastic movement in Northern Egypt:

It seems that one of the fathers fell ill, and for many days couldn't eat anything.  One of his disciplesurged him to eat: "If you'll let me, father, I'll make you a little cake."  The old man nodded, and so the other made the cake.  Now there were two pots there side by side, one containing honey and the other rancid linseed oil used for the lamp.  The brother took this second pot and emptied some of it into the cake, thinking he was adding honey. Although the old man tasted it, he didn't say anything, but just kept eating in silence.  When he was offered a third helping, though, he said,  "Really, my son, I can't eat any more."  But the young man wouldn't hear of it. "Look, father.  They're good cakes  I'm eating some myself...."  When he tasted his concoction he realized what he'd done and threw himself on his face saying, "Woe is me, father!  I've killed you!  You've caused this sin in me because you didn't say anything!"  But the old man replied in the calmest of voices, "Don't worry about it, my son. If God had wanted me to eat a good cake, you would've put in the honey and not the linseed oil." 

Clearly this older monk's worldview includes a God who is very much present and active in the lives of people. A similar view of the world is shown in the first reading in the second half of the first reading a mass today:

They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit

When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,

from preaching the message in the province of Asia. but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them. (Acts 16:6-10)

It seems that Paul had intended to make a circular journey around Asia Minor, starting in Derbe, in the center of the region and then returning toward the eastern sections of the province of Asia. Twice, however, when he tried to head back in an easterly direction some obstacle or other presented itself:

-- They had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.,

-- Then he tried to head up north and east through Bithynia: they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,

-- Then, in frustration, he headed west toward the coast and arrived at the port city of Troas, across the water from Europe (specifically Macedonia and the cities if Corinth, Philippi and Thessaloniki).

Evidently Paul still hadn't gotten the point, so that night "Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,"Come over to Macedonia and help us."

When Paul had seen the vision, the author of Acts, tells us, "we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them."

Maybe Paul could have said to himself, echoing that wise Egyptian monk: "If the Lord had wanted me to circle back eastward into Asia, then we would have been able to do so. But he has something else in mind for me." That "something else" was to bring the Good news to Greece and thus Europe for the first time.

What about you and me? Does your worldview include a God who communicates to you through events, frustrating or otherwise? Are you as patient with frustrations in your life as that wise monk was with his spoiled porridge?

Certainly it's worth cultivating this way of dealing with frustrations. It's good for your relationship with God -- and helps control your high blood pressure.