January 13, 2021
by Mary Clifford Morrell
Among all the lessons that Scripture offers us, perhaps none is more consistent than the need to embrace change.
With God, change is not just a fact of life. It is a tool in Divine Hands. Just look at Noah, Abraham, Moses, Mary and Joseph, and the Apostles. God entered their lives and asked each of them to let go of what was so they could embrace what would be through the power of God’s Spirit.
Without their willingness to put their faith in God, the world would certainly look different today. What if Noah laughed himself silly at God’s request to build the ark? Or if Abraham planted his feet firmly on the land he already owned, refusing to leave all he had worked for just because of God’s whim?
Imagine if Moses let his insecurities rule the day and prevent him from going to the pharaoh and demanding the release of the Hebrew people? What if Moses had given in to the people’s grumbling about the Exodus' hard life and let them go back to Egypt to live in persecution?
And then there is Mary, our Blessed Virgin. Where would we be if, in fear, she said no to the Angel Gabriel? Or if Joseph took advantage of his right to divorce her because of her pregnancy, rather than accept this unexpected change in plans?
And the 12 ordinary men who were the Apostles—what changes did they embrace in their lives to accept the invitation of Jesus to “come and see?” Leaving behind family and friends and livelihood wasn’t the only new path they needed to walk. The most significant change, and one that Jesus requires of each of us, is a change of heart and mind. This change must be a profound one, made with a deep understanding of how individual lives and the whole people of God will be transformed by living in Christ and walking with God in a new way.
St. Paul says it beautifully in his letter to the Corinthian community: “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:5:17).
In all circumstances of change, we can take comfort in knowing that God continues to use each of us and every situation to bring about God’s kingdom. The pivotal factor in God’s work is our response.
For the coming year, an important question for our faith lives may be a simple one: When we are faced with change, how will we respond?”
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.