Listen to this reflection
As I was nearing the end of high school, I had many plans about what I wanted to do after graduation. Although I was a faithful follower of God and attended Mass on Sundays and holy days like I was supposed to, I had my own plans, like we all do.
One of those plans was to become a professional soccer player. I pursued this goal from age 13-19 with great personal sacrifice. I dedicated myself to it so fully that it became my top priority—of course without neglecting my schoolwork or the responsibilities required to finish high school successfully.
Today’s Gospel reading states: “He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” We realize that Jesus came to fulfill God’s will, not His own. Furthermore, He tells us: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” This means that God has a plan for every human being, even His own Son.
Although we have surely shed tears over failing to achieve our goals and over all the sacrifices we have made trying to carry out our own plans, we must understand that not everything unfolds exactly as we want it to. We should ask God for discernment and wisdom, and pray that His will be done regarding what He desires for our lives. He always wants what is best for us. To truly understand this, we must remain in communion with God, otherwise, we risk making poor decisions that could have negative consequences for our lives.
I was unable to achieve my dream of becoming a professional soccer player, and accepting that reality was very difficult for me. But in the end, I moved to the United States at age 20 to pursue a college degree. Was that part of my plan? No. In fact, it seemed almost impossible. Yet today, I have been living in this beautiful country for 26 years, alongside a wonderful wife and children. How I love Your will, O Lord!
Cuando estaba por terminar el high school tenía muchos planes en mente que quería hacer después de graduarme. Aunque era un fiel seguidor de Dios y cumplía con ir a misa los domingos y días festivos, tenía mis propios planes como cualquiera de nosotros.
Dentro de esos planes estaba ser jugador de soccer. Lo intenté con mucho sacrificio desde los 13 años hasta los 19 años. Me entregué tanto que era mi prioridad en la vida, por supuesto sin descuidarme de mis clases de high school y los deberes que implicaba terminar bien en la escuela.
El evangelio de hoy dice, “Se le dio el volumen del profeta Isaías, lo desenrolló y encontró el pasaje en que estaba escrito: El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí, porque me ha ungido para llevar a los pobres la buena nueva, para anunciar la liberación a los cautivos y la curación a los ciegos, para dar libertad a los oprimidos y proclamar el año de gracia del Señor”. Nos damos cuenta que Jesús vino a hacer la voluntad de Dios y no la de Él mismo. Además nos dice “Hoy mismo se ha cumplido este pasaje de la Escritura, que ustedes acaban de oír”. Es decir que Dios tiene un plan para cada ser humano, hasta para su propio Hijo.
Aunque seguro hemos llorado por no cumplir nuestra metas, y por todo el sacrificio que hemos hecho para tratar de cumplir nuestros planes, debemos entender que no todo se va hacer como nosotros queremos. Más bien, debemos pedirle a Dios discernimiento, sabiduría y que se haga su voluntad para lo que Él quiere en nuestra vida. Siempre va a querer lo mejor para nosotros. Para llegar a entenderlo debemos estar en comunión con Dios, si no, vamos a tomar malas decisiones cuyas consecuencias serían negativas para nuestras vidas.
No pude lograr ser jugador de soccer profesional y me costó mucho aceptarlo. Al final terminé mudándome a Estados Unidos para estudiar una carrera universitaria a los 20 años. ¿Estaba dentro de mis planes? No. Y aparte era casi imposible hacerlo. Pero hoy en día llevo 26 años viviendo en este país tan hermoso con una esposa e hijos maravillosos. ¡Cuánto amo, Señor, tu voluntad!
Felix Urcia was born in Lima, Peru. He moved the U.S. to complete his college degree in Computer Science at Northern Kentucky University. He is passionate about his faith, his family, education and soccer. When he is not homeschooling and caring for his young children he enjoys personal programing projects and sports analysis. He and wife live in a small town in Western Michigan where they enjoy spending time with their five children.
Feature Image Credit: Brett Jordan, unsplash.com/photos/brown-wooden-blocks-on-white-surface-JZUAigW8Kbo
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