Faith and Family / Sean Gallagher

Families can be ready to meet Christ in interruptions and challenges

My wife Cindy is definitely the calendar keeper in our family. She keeps in her purse at all times a small calendar notebook that she can quickly access when there’s a question about what’s coming up.

And as soon as she learns of a new commitment for anyone in our family or the family as a whole, out comes the calendar and she jots it down.

Earlier this month, though, the plans Cindy had for the day were interrupted when she found out she needed to have her appendix removed.

She had been experiencing some abdominal pain for a few days and when it didn’t resolve—registered nurse that she is—Cindy knew it was time to have it checked out. Within hours of her visiting our family doctor’s office, she was on an operating table at a local hospital.

Cindy received excellent care from the medical professionals there and was well on the mend within days of the surgery.

This incident is a reminder of a paradox in all of human life that is important for parents to prepare their children for.

On the one hand, God has created us in his image with the power of reason to help us prepare for the future.

The Gospels recount many occasions when Christ exhorted his disciples to be ready in advance for his return, likening them to servants awaiting their master’s return from a wedding (Lk 12:35-40), a master of a house readying himself for a thief in the night (Mt 24:43) or like virgins awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom (Mt 25:1-13).

On the other hand, Christ repeatedly makes clear to his disciples that they cannot know when his return will happen. “You … must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44).

And, of course, what is true of Christ’s glorious return applies to our life every day. Each of us needs to be prepared to do God’s will in our lives at every moment. That is the heart of the meaning of Christ’s call to his disciples to be always ready for his return.

Making ourselves ready for the future, like Cindy diligently keeping our family’s calendar, is a crucial part of a parent’s mission in forming their children. God’s grace can help parents and children at all times be ready to embrace his will in their lives, something that will lead to our happiness and fulfillment here and hereafter.

That preparation for the future, though, must always include being ready for interruptions in the plans we put on our calendars for our daily lives. For just as we cannot know when Christ will return, we must humbly acknowledge that God’s will for us for this day or that can come as a complete surprise. When Cindy woke up that day earlier this month, she had no idea that she’d be wheeled into surgery before she went to sleep.

Family life is a good preparation for such interruptions. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in 22 years as a parent, it’s to always be ready to pivot to new needs popping up—in my immediate family, our 76-year-old house, our extended family and more.

As hard as this can make daily life in a family home, it can also be a channel of God’s grace to children, leading them to meet Christ in the interruptions of their daily plans.

Embracing interruptions and not fighting against them are big parts of the life of discipleship. Family life is a key way to hone this virtue and meet Christ along the way. †