I intend to blog a bit, but I am looking for permanent housing. Why I am where I am is a great mystery to me, but one does not question God, only waits.
Today, on the eve of the possible collapse of Western Civilization in Ireland, I want to write a meditation on a passage from St. Paul, with the help of the great Garrigou-Lagrange.
"We know that to them that love God all things work together unto good: to such as according to His purpose are called to be saints. For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. And whom He predestinated, them He also called. And whom He called, them He also justified. And whom He justified, them He also glorified." Romans 8: 28-30
Garrigou-Lagrange breaks down the passage and highlights God's foreknowledge, His call of the predestined, their justification, and, finally, their glorification.
Too many Catholics judged people as predestined by good works. As noted by Garrigou-Lagrange, this is the heresy of Pelagius. God gives grace to all and all have access to sufficient grace. It is God's perfect will that all are saved. But, His preknowledge sees those who are open to His call of love and grace. Therefore, those who turn to Him, are justified through grace and finally merit glory.
From all these passages of Scripture, St. Augustine formulated this classical definition: "Predestination is the foreknowledge and preparedness on God's part to bestow the favors by which all those are saved who are to be saved."(25) St. Augustine is still more explicit on this point when he writes: "God already knew, when He predestined, what He must do to bring His elect infallibly to eternal life."(26)
These thoughts give me courage during these darkening times. Those of elect who persevere in grace and love will see God.
But, as I want to explain as a stream which flows out from the spirit within us, the God Within sustains us and brings to us the additional graces necessary for perseverance.
Perseverance in keeping the Commandments, and being purified so that one can live the life of the virtues is THE grace of this day.
Persevere, as I try to do even under the most trying of circumstances.
How?
It is not us who join our sufferings with Christ, but Christ Who suffers with us, in us. Our sufferings are His. He has adopted all of our trials-financial collapse, family divisions, even the lack of stability in life, which only He can give.
The joy of relying totally on the God Within cannot be explained.
Imagine a key ring with three keys.
One is total reliance on God and His Providence.
A second is total reliance on His graces, and the knowledge that one cannot do anything without grace.
The third key is love-coming from daily recollection of God's Presence throughout the day.
Peter Kreeft notes that the only way to be a saint is to practice the daily Presence of God.
All one needs to do is find the God Within. He is there, waiting to be found.
I have found Him within. I do not know if all people have to go through intense suffering, including abandonment and the complete loss of things to find this God Within.
All I know is that God lets His Bride be led into the desert so that He can be found without distraction.
There is a homecoming when we each find that God Within, that Friend Who listens and wants us to speak with Him constantly, daily.
More later, God willing....