The essence of perfection is to embrace the will of God in all things, prosperous or adverse. In prosperity, even sinners find it easy to unite themselves to the divine will; but it takes saints to unite themselves to God’s will when things go wrong and are painful to self-love. Our conduct in such instances is the measure of our love of God. St. John of Avila used to say: “One ‘Blessed be God’ in times of adversity, is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity[20].”
Furthermore, we must unite ourselves to God’s will not only in things that come to us directly from his hands, such as sickness, desolation, poverty, death of relatives, but likewise in those we suffer from man -- for example, contempt, injustice, loss of reputation, loss of temporal goods and all kinds of persecution. On these occasions we must remember that whilst God does not will the sin, he does will our humiliation, our poverty, or our mortification, as the case may be. It is certain and of faith, that whatever happens, happens by the will of God: “I am the Lord forming the light and creating the darkness, making peace and creating evil[21].” From God come all things, good as well as evil. We call adversities evil; actually they are good and meritorious, when we receive them as coming from God’s hands: “Shall there be evil in a city which the Lord hath not done[22]?” “Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches are from God[23].”
It is true, when one offends us unjustly, God does not will his sin, nor does he concur in the sinner’s bad will; but God does, in a general way, concur in the material action by which such a one strikes us, robs us or does us an injury, so that God certainly wills the offense we suffer and it comes to us from his hands. Thus the Lord told David he would be the author of those things he would suffer at the hands of Absalom: “I will raise up evils against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy face and give them to thy neighbor[24].” Hence too God told the Jews that in punishment for their sins, he would send the Assyrians to plunder them and spread destruction among them: “The Assyrian is the rod and staff of my anger . . . I will send him to take away the spoils[25].” “Assyrian wickedness served as God’s scourge for the Hebrews[26]‘‘ is St. Augustine’s comment on this text. And our Lord himself told St. Peter that his sacred passion came not so much from man as from his Father: “The chalice which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it[27]?”
When the messenger came to announce to Job that the Sabeans had plundered his goods and slain his children, he said: “The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away[28].” He did not say: “The Lord hath given me my children and my possessions, and the Sabeans have taken them away.” He realized that adversity had come upon him by the will of God. Therefore he added: “As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord[29].” We must not therefore consider the afflictions that come upon us as happening by chance or solely from the malice of men; we should be convinced that what happens, happens by the will of God. Apropos of this it is related that two martyrs, Epictetus and Atho, being put to the torture by having their bodies raked with iron hooks and burnt with flaming torches, kept repeating: “Work thy will upon us, O Lord.” Arrived at the place of execution, they exclaimed: “Eternal God, be thou blessed in that thy will has been entirely accomplished in us[30].’’
Cesarius points up what we have been saying by offering this incident in the life of a certain monk: Externally his religious observance was the same as that of the other monks, but he had attained such sanctity that the mere touch of his garments healed the sick. Marveling at these deeds, since his life was no more exemplary than the lives of the other monks, the superior asked him one day what was the cause of these miracles.
He replied that he too was mystified and was at a loss how to account for such happenings. “What devotions do you practice?” asked the abbot. He answered that there was little or nothing special that he did beyond making a great deal of willing only what God willed, and that God had given him the grace of abandoning his will totally to the will of God.
“Prosperity does not lift me up, nor adversity cast me down,” added the monk. “I direct all my prayers to the end that God’s will may be done fully in me and by me.” “That raid that our enemies made against the monastery the other day, in which our stores were plundered, our granaries put to the torch and our cattle driven off -- did not this misfortune cause you any resentment?” queried the abbot.
“No, Father,” came the reply. “On the contrary, I returned thanks to God -- as is my custom in such circumstances -- fully persuaded that God does all things, or permits all that happens, for his glory and for our greater good; thus I am always at peace, no matter what happens.” Seeing such conformity with the will of God, the abbot no longer wondered why the monk worked so many miracles[31]. So many priests I know are not orthodox in the Faith. If a person is off on one point of Catholic teaching, that person is not on the road to holiness.
That point can be following private revelations either warned about, condemned or simply not approved by the Church. Is your soul worth this apparently small disobedience?
This has been the guidance of the Church for centuries. One must be obedient in every small thing.
Examine yourselves today.
One can be blocked in prayer if one is not in keeping with the guidance and Teaching Magisterium of the Church.
Some people decide to ignore the CDF, or even the Pope's Apostolic Letters in order to hold on to their own ideologies or Protestant ideals.
I cannot change this mystical truth, that the road of perfection, including purification, illumination, and union with God can only happen in real obedience.
To be in obedience is to be in conformity with God's Will. How do we know the Will of God?
Simple. We follow the teachings of the Church.
Do not get stuck on your favourite aspects of the spiritual life if these are contrary to the guidance and teaching of the Church.
You will not be holy. You will strive and strive. Your power to do good in the world will be limited or non-existent. You will not experience the Love Who is a Person and Total Purity, unless you are obedient in small things as well as the large.
I hear people saying, "Well, I believe this, but the Church cannot tell me about this....", or "Liberal bishops cannot tell me what to do" or "Rome is so full of corruption in the departments, I do not have to follow the advice."
Are you holier than Rome?
Here is the trust of the saint. And, God is with His Church, always.
The liturgical changes have confused some people. But, the abuses were not dictated by the Church.
Read what this Pope writes and what Blessed John Paul II wrote. Read the saints' writings. Wait for Rome if matters of private revelation. Take guidance seriously.
Do not endanger your immortal soul because of your own limited ideas.
The narcissism of the world effects how many Catholics think. Do not be your own pope or your own church, deciding what is true and not.....do not be a narcissistic Catholic