Dear Friend 

Remarkable Grace Found in Unremarkable Places

Reflection by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly

As we were making our way to Cana, and to the church that marked the first of Jesus’ miracles or “signs” ( the changing of water into wine), in my mind I had an image of what this place would look like. I imagined it to be an awesome and majestic structure set high up on a hill, that could be seen for miles as you approached. Such a revelation of divine power deserves nothing less - or at least I thought so in my head!

Needless to say, my expectations were crushed even as we got to the town. Nothing. You couldn’t see any church at all, let alone the glorious structure of my dreams. After we parked, we meandered through streets of this village until we got to the town square. There, nestled in one of the corners was the little church that commemorated Jesus’ first miracle. At first, I found myself amidst lingering disappointment. After a few moments of stewing from within, I began to see the loveliness of this church. And I began to be touched and inspired by where I was and what was before me. What was happening to me was the work of God’s unrelenting yet remarkable grace - shattering my ill-conceived notions of how God ought to manifest his loving and saving presence in our world. Humility versus pride. Docility and trust versus the need to control.

Sounds a lot like the journey of Lent - coming around to the way God does things. Patterning our own life after the pattern set before us by Jesus. That pattern is nothing other than the Paschal Mystery: the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. These sacred days of Lent are the annual reminder/invitation for each one of us to refashion our expectations to those of God, not the other way around.

By embracing the message of Jesus Christ, we can find meaning amidst suffering. If we come to Jesus in our weakness and sin, we discover mercy and forgiveness for all those who repent, even you and me! When we trust in the promises of Christ, his power is made manifest in the most amazing ways - even changing water into wine! If you and I can surrender our expectations of what we think we want or need or deserve, then the remarkable and unrelenting grace of Christ can be made manifest - even in our ordinary, everyday and unremarkable lives.

Prayer:

May Mary, our Blessed Mother, help us by her words and example, to trust in her Son, Jesus, in all things. Even when our lives seem to be overwhelming, may we go to Jesus through Mary to receive the help and the grace we need. In so doing, our unremarkable lives can give testimony to God’s remarkable and unrelenting love and grace.

Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., former rector/dean, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, a licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum, Rome, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Board, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University. Pope John Paul II named him a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 2016 during the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization sought priests who were living signs "of the Father's welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness." He was the only priest from the Archdiocese of Newark formally commissioned as a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis.