God's suddenlies become our serendipities!

"Come and have breakfast" (John 21:12).

God's suddenlies become our serendipities. Webster's Dictionary gives the definition of serendipity: "[Coined by Horace Walpole...after his tale The Three Princes of Serendip (i.e., Ceylon), who made such discoveries.] An apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally."

In his book, The Road Less Traveled, author M. Scott Peck, in his section on "The Miracle of Serendipity," maintains that this is really grace: "...Grace, manifested in part by `valuable or agreeable things not sought for,' is available to everyone, but that while some take advantage of it, others do not....Let me suggest that one of the reasons we fail to take advantage of grace is that we are not fully aware of its presence -- that is, we don't find valuable things not sought for, because we fail to appreciate the value of the gift when it is given us."

Surely Jesus' invitation to the weary disciples was an unexpected grace, a serendipity. Come, dine with Me! He asks their companionship and is ready to provide their needs. Here is the sacrament and the ultimate union. Jesus treated His beloved as His friends. He did not demand that they come and serve Him, nor did He tell them to go off to the side and eat; instead, He served them and ate with them. What a glorious testament and truth and treatment!

"...How much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" (Romans 5:15). Yes, many graces -- serendipities -- overflow in our daily life, but we won't find them unless we are tuned in to God's love, and unless we are most grateful for His providence. We can view providence as either fate or foresight; providence is the gift of the awareness of His many gifts!