“Hey, I’m No Jimmy The Greek”

Gamblers think they have a special gift in predicting the future; yet in the long run most of them end up broke. At times all of us give it a try…. from predicting the weather, to the elections, to ball games. In 2022 you heard  “no way the Yankees aren’t bringing home the World Series Trophy; woe are you serious, the Cardinals are a sure fit for the crown this year”.  Both finished the regular season in first place. My son-in-law (a big Yankee fan) even committed to getting tickets for a Cardinal – Yankee World Series game at Yankee  stadium. I had gotten my bank loan approved and was planning to buy the beers and hotdogs. Well, they didn’t make it, and the “wait till 2023 theme” was a real disaster with the Yanks finishing 19 games out and the Redbirds 21 games out. Auuuuuuggghhhh ! So much for predicting the future.

Predicting how young people will turn out is also very unreliable. Many saints had very difficult beginnings and it looked like they would have a disastrous life. Think about John Vianney or Walter Ciszek, or St. Paul. I just read about St. Sulprizio, a timid lad, grew up in poverty ….. his father died when he was 3, he had an unkind step-father, his mother died when he was 6, his kind grandmother then died…left to a brutal uncle the sickly lad was told if you don’t work, you don’t eat. He later died from gangrene at 19. Due to his saintliness in the midst of great suffering, he was canonized. Who would have predicted that?

How about St. Zelie Martin…. a delicate and sensitive child who suffered deeply from the harsh care of her mother. She developed a skill as a lacemaker and later married Louis Martin. The rest is history as she became the mother of St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower”. Who would have predicted that?

Fast forward to today. We all live among people who look like they are on the fast track for great success…in this world and the next… smart, handsome/beautiful, good education, good character, etc.  We also know those whose life seems to be facing great obstacles….. not brilliant, two steps from the poor house, kids have problems, spouses with health issues. So where will they end up? Let’s be careful of our predictions. 

As I see those with the greatest obstacles and burdens and sickness and challenges continuing to press on despite all the challenges, I am amazed at their love and perseverance. It’s not pretty or easy, but they just don’t quit; they just keep going. Despite all the heartache, you see the hand of God helping and healing and bringing peace and joy and resolutions and hope. You see the look of love and peace in their faces. Traveling thru a life of suffering, thru the crucible of humiliation, you see holiness…even saintliness. It’s a privilege to know these holy warriors who are overcoming great obstacle by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So let’s be careful as we try to predict the future. Christ is the only one who knows what’s coming, and he has a way of helping the weak to finish strong, of helping those in trouble to grow in love all the way till the end. Maybe one of our friends will be the next St. Sulprizio or St. Zelie…. maybe even you could be the next one. Woe, that may sound crazy…but you never know….. it’s hard to predict.