There are some people who can find bad news in even the most blessed of events. And, of course, there are those who can take bad news and just dwell on it and dwell on it, driving home to themselves and everyone around them just how awful it is. And they drive home their feeling that there is no hope; there is only the bad.
But as Christians, we know that even out of the bad, God does create the good. And even if we cannot see His magnificent plans, which sometimes include bad things, we must have faith. We must remember that even bad things happen for a reason. And we must trust in Him.
So the announcement that our small parish, Christ The King in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has more men and women studying for religious life than any other parish in the country, will see a noticeable reduction in the number studying for that vocation, could be seen by some as a bad thing. With such an announcement, there may be some who would see only the downside, and speculate on why this “bad” thing has come about. They might be worrying about what can be done to improve things. They might even be depressed.
But then, there are those who see the truth of matters, and recognize that even in the “bad”, there is good.
This week will see three of the men of Christ the King ordained, and next month another. And this month also a priest, ordained from this relatively new parish, will be elevated to the office of bishop.
The number studying will go down, the number of ordained will go up. And this summer the parish will sponsor retreats to Steubenville’s teen conferences, vocation discernment weekends, and a summer-long weekly study of the Theology of the Body, for teens. And at this time next year, what will the numbers be, of those studying for or seeking to discern if they have a religious vocation?
Only God knows. But he makes good out of all that we may see as bad. And in my parish we loudly proclaim, we trust in Him.
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