Imagine you are standing in St. Peter’s Square and see white smoke come out through the chimney. You are overjoyed at the news that we have a new Pope! However, as the man appears on the balcony in his white vestments you realize that the new Bishop of Rome is your childhood neighbor, Larry.

Now you are confused. Larry was a curly-headed kid who got splinters in his dad’s workshop and hid in the church sacristy for so long his parents were looking for him for days. How could he be our Holy Father here on earth? He can’t be the Pope; your mother was just talking about him last week!

The inhabitants of Jerusalem questioned Jesus in the same way when they said, “But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” How could the Messiah be walking amongst them when nothing has changed about their situation?

Many times in our continuous prayer lives we expect big answers and big changes from the big man upstairs. More often than not they come as a small response or a subtle hint from a close friend. Have you been asking God for a big answer? Could He be speaking to you in a small way? Who are the local saints that you overlook every day?

—Devyn Buschow is the Director of Youth Ministry at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville, TX.  She currently lives in the Dallas area with her husband, Justin, who also works in Catholic youth ministry.