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Let us now take up in a practical way the consideration of those
matters in which we should unite ourselves to God's will.1. In
external matters. In times of great heat, cold or rain; in times
of famine, epidemics and similar occasions we should refrain from
expressions like these: "What unbearable heat!" "What piercing
cold!" "What a tragedy!" In these instances we should avoid
expressions indicating opposition to God's will. We should want
things to be just as they are, because it is God who thus disposes
them.
An incident in point would be this one: Late one night St.
Francis Borgia arrived unexpectedly at a Jesuit house, in a
snowstorm. He knocked and knocked on the door, but all to no
purpose because the community being asleep, no one heard him. When
morning came all were embarrassed for the discomfort he had
experienced by having had to spend the night in the open. The
saint, however, said he had enjoyed the greatest consolation
during those long hours of the night by imagining that he saw our
Lord up in the sky dropping the snowflakes down upon him.
2. In personal matters. In matters that affect us personally,
let us acquiesce in God's will. For example, in hunger, thirst,
poverty, desolation, loss of reputation, let us always say: "Do
thou build up or tear down, O Lord, as seems good in thy sight. I
am content. I wish only what thou dost wish." Thus too, says
Rodriguez, should we act when the devil proposes certain
hypothetical cases to us in order to wrest a sinful consent from
us, or at least to cause us to be interiorly disturbed. For
example: "What would you say or what would you do if some one were
to say or do such and such a thing to you?" Let us dismiss the
temptation by saying: "By God's grace, I would say or do what God
would want me to say or do." Thus we shall free ourselves from
imperfection and harassment.
3. Let us not lament if we suffer from some natural defect of
body or mind; from poor memory, slowness of understanding, little
ability, lameness or general bad health. What claim have we, or
what obligation is God under, to give us a more brilliant mind or
a more robust body? Who is ever offered a gift and then lays down
the conditions upon which he will accept it? Let us thank God for
what, in his pure goodness, he has given us and let us be content
too with the manner in which he has given it to us.
Who knows? Perhaps if God had given us greater talent, better
health, a more personable appearance, we might have lost our
souls! Great talent and knowledge have caused many to be puffed up
with the idea of their own importance and, in their pride, they
have despised others. How easily those who have these gifts fall
into grave danger to their salvation! How many on account of
physical beauty or robust health have plunged headlong into a life
of debauchery! How many, on the contrary, who, by reason of
poverty, infirmity or physical deformity, have become saints and
have saved their souls, who, given health, wealth or physical
attractiveness had else lost their souls! Let us then be content
with what God has given us. "But one thing is necessary[1]," and
it is not beauty, not health, not talent. It is the salvation of
our immortal souls.
4. It is especially necessary that we be resigned in corporal
infirmities. We should willingly embrace them in the manner and
for the length of time that God wills. We ought to make use of the
ordinary remedies in time of sickness -- such is God's will; but
if they are not effective, let us unite ourselves to God's will
and this will be better for us than would be our restoration to
health. Let us say: "Lord, I wish neither to be well nor to remain
sick; I want only what thou wilt."
Certainly, it is more virtuous not to repine in times of
painful illness; still and all, when our sufferings are excessive,
it is not wrong to let our friends know what we are enduring, and
also to ask God to free us from our sufferings. Let it be
understood, however, that the sufferings here referred to are
actually excessive. It often happens that some, on the occasion of
a slight illness, or even a slight indisposition, want the whole
world to stand still and sympathize with them in their illnesses.
But where it is a case of real suffering, we have the example
of our Lord, who, at the approach of his bitter passion, made
known his state of soul to his disciples, saying: "My soul is
sorrowful even unto death[2]"and besought his eternal Father to
deliver him from it: "Father, if it be possible, let this chalice
pass from me[3]."But our Lord likewise taught us what we should do
when we have made such a petition, when he added: "Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt[4]."
How childish the pretense of those who protest they wish for
health not to escape suffering, but to serve our Lord better by
being able to observe their Rule, to serve the community, go to
church, receive Communion, do penance, study, work for souls in
the confessional and pulpit! Devout soul, tell me, why do you
desire to do these things? To please God? Why then search any
further to please God when you are sure God does not wish these
prayers, Communions, penances or studies, but he does wish that
you suffer patiently this sickness he sends you? Unite then your
sufferings to those of our Lord.
"But," you say, "I do not want to be sick for then I am
useless, a burden to my Order, to my monastery." But if you are
united to and resigned to God's will, you will realize that your
superiors are likewise resigned to the dispositions of divine
providence, and that they recognize the fact that you are a
burden, not through indolence, but by the will of God. Ah, how
often these desires and these laments are born, not of the love of
God, but of the love of self! How many of them are so many
pretexts for fleeing the will of God! Do we want to please God?
When we find ourselves confined to our sickbed, let us utter this
one prayer: "Thy will be done." Let us repeat it time and time
again and it will please God more than all our mortifications and
devotions. There is no better way to serve God than cheerfully to
embrace his holy will.
St. John of Avila once wrote to a sick priest: "My dear friend,
-- Do not weary yourself planning what you would do if you were
well, but be content to be sick for as long as God wishes. If you
are seeking to carry out God's will, what difference should it
make to you whether you are sick or well[5]?'' The saint was
perfectly right, for God is glorified not by our works, but by our
resignation to, and by our union with, his holy will. In this
respect St. Francis de Sales used to say we serve God better by
our sufferings than by our actions.
Many times it will happen that proper medical attention or
effective remedies will be lacking, or even that the doctor will
not rightly diagnose our case. In such instances we must unite
ourselves to the divine will which thus disposes of our physical
health. The story is told of a client of St. Thomas of Canterbury,
who being sick, went to the saint's tomb to obtain a cure. He
returned home cured. But then he thought to himself: "Suppose it
would be better for my soul's salvation if I remained sick, what
point then is there in being well?" In this frame of mind he went
back and asked the saint to intercede with God that he grant what
would be best for his eternal salvation. His illness returned and
he was perfectly content with the turn things had taken, being
fully persuaded that God had thus disposed of him for his own
good.
There is a similar account by Surio to the effect that a
certain blind man obtained the restoration of his sight by praying
to St. Bedasto, bishop. Thinking the matter over, he prayed again
to his heavenly patron, but this time with the purpose that if the
possession of his sight were not expedient for his soul, that his
blindness should return. And that is exactly what happened -- he
was blind again. Therefore, in sickness it is better that we seek
neither sickness nor health, but that we abandon ourselves to the
will of God so that he may dispose of us as he wishes. However, if
we decide to ask for health, let us do so at least always resigned
and with the proviso that our bodily health may be conducive to
the health of our soul. Otherwise our prayer will be defective and
will remain unheard because our Lord does not answer prayers made
without resignation to his holy will.
Sickness is the acid test of spirituality, because it discloses
whether our virtue is real or sham. If the soul is not agitated,
does not break out in lamentations, is not feverishly restless in
seeking a cure, but instead is submissive to the doctors and to
superiors, is serene and tranquil, completely resigned to God's
will, it is a sign that that soul is well-grounded in virtue.
What of the whiner who complains of lack of attention? That his
sufferings are beyond endurance? That the doctor does not know his
business? What of the faint-hearted soul who laments that the hand
of God is too heavy upon him?
This story by St. Bonaventure in his "Life of St. Francis" is
in point: On a certain occasion when the saint was suffering
extraordinary physical pain, one of his religious meaning to
sympathize with him, said in his simplicity: "My Father, pray God
that he treat you a little more gently, for his hand seems heavy
upon you just now." Hearing this, St. Francis strongly resented
the unhappy remark of his well-meaning brother, saying: "My good
brother, did I not know that what you have just said was spoken in
all simplicity, without realizing the implication of your words, I
should never see you again because of your rashness in passing
judgment on the dispositions of divine providence."
Whereupon, weak and wasted as he was by his illness, he got out
of bed, knelt down, kissed the floor and prayed thus: "Lord, I
thank thee for the sufferings thou art sending me. Send me more,
if it be thy good pleasure. My pleasure is that you afflict me and
spare me not, for the fulfillment of thy holy will is the greatest
consolation of my life."
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