Reflection by: Danielle
Chronicles of a pilgrim – Day 10 – PADUA/INNSBRUCK
#sequelachristi2025
Goodbye Padua! Today we were on our way to Austria after 9 full days in Italy. But before we headed over the border, we made our final stop in Italy at Madonna Della Corona (Our Lady of the Crown), a gem hidden away on a cliff on the mountains.
Unlike the other churches or sanctuaries we visited, we did not have a guided tour on this one, leaving us to explore the area on our own and spend some quiet time with the Lord. I felt particularly drawn to this display of Jesus on the cross and Mary looking sorrowfully at her dying son.
Perhaps it was empathy for a mother who had to watch as her son suffered in his passion and the way the artist captured the sadness in Mary’s facial expression, but I was unsure of what drew me into this corner of the church, something just did. Until I read the description of this area in the information pamphlet, and found it to be scarily apt for what I myself am experiencing in my life. The pamphlet, titled “The Path of Faith”, reads, “I move and stand under the large Crucifix and look up at it. I entrust all my anxieties and all my aspirations to Jesus, I think of God the Father who welcomes me, just as I am. I feel loved and embraced like a son”
These past months, at my current point in life, between University applications, career choices and the uneasiness of all this uncertainty, I have been feeling the weight of my anxieties and aspirations. I find it difficult too to truly trust in the Lord because there is always that fear that maybe what I want will not happen for me and I do not know how I will cope with that possible reality.
Hence, seeing that as the description for the corner of the church felt almost too perfect to not be a sign. It felt like my calling to finally let go of these anxieties and expectations I have been building up and simply entrust them in the Lord. This revelation of mine also fits nicely along the lines of homily at mass yesterday on God’s plan for us. Much like how St. Anthony of Padua had his life redirected by Christ, we should learn to trust in God’s providence as he may have greater things in mind for us.
Whenever I ponder about God’s plan for me compared to my plan that I have in mind, I find comfort in Luke 11:11-13: “If your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” God will provide us with what He believes is best for us. If that aligns with what we want then that is good. But if it does not, then that rejection may simply be redirection for something better.
As Father said “Our existence is due to God. Why worry? The outcome might be better than we ever imagined”.
