Salesian Literature

Conference 15  :  The Will of God

In which it is asked, in what consists the perfect determination to study and to follow the will of God in all things; and whether we can find it in following the will of Superiors, equals or inferiors, which we see proceed from their own natural or habitual inclinations. Also on some notable points concerning Confessors and Preachers[1]

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I would have you know that the determination to follow the will of God in all things, without exception, is contained in   the Lord's Prayer.  It is in those words we repeat every day:  Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven [Mt. 6:10] In Heaven there is no resistance to the will of God; all there are subject and obedient to Him, and we ask Our Lord to grant that it may be thus with us, that we may never oppose the slightest resistance to that divine will, but be always, on all occasions, absolutely submissive and obedient to it. Souls, however, having come to this determination need enlightenment as to how they may recognise God's will. On this subject I have spoken very plainly in my book on The Love of God[2]; but still, in order to satisfy the demand made upon me, I will say something more about it. The will of God may be understood in two senses: there is God's will made known to us (His declared will), and there is the will of His good pleasure. The divine will made known to us is divided into four parts: namely, the Commandments of God and of the Church, the Evangelical Counsels, inspirations, and the Rules and Constitutions. Every one must of necessity obey the Commandments of God and of the Church, because this is the absolute will of God, Who has made such obedience the condition of our salvation. His Counsels He indeed wishes us to observe, but not with an absolute will, only with a certain desire. For this reason we do not lose charity or separate ourselves from God, if we lack courage to undertake obedience to His Counsels. Indeed we ought not to attempt the practice of them all, but only of those which are suitable to our vocation; for some are so absolutely opposed to others, that it would be impossible to undertake to keep them without depriving ourselves of the means of practising others. For instance, it is a Counsel to leave all to follow Our Lord, making ourselves like Him, Who stripped Himself of all things; it is also a Counsel to lend, and to give alms: tell me, how can he who has left all that lie had, give alms out of nothing? We must then follow those Counsels which God wishes us to follow, and not imagine that He wants us to embrace thorn all. Now, the Counsels which we in particular are bound to practise are those contained in our Rules.  

 

We have also said that God reveals His will to us by His inspirations. This is true; but yet He does not wish us to decide for ourselves whether our in­spirations are really His will or not, and still less to follow them blindly at whatever cost. He does not wish us to expect that He Himself will manifest His will to us, nor that He will send His Angels to teach us what it is; but He desires that in all matters of importance in which we cannot clearly see what we ought to do, we should have recourse to those whom He has set over us to guide us, and that we should submit wholly and absolutely to their counsel and opinion in all that concerns the perfec­tion of our souls. This, then, is the way in which God manifests His will to us; His known will.

 

There is also, as I have said, the will of God's good pleasure, which we must regard in all events and circumstances that may befall us. In sickness and death, in affliction and consolation, in things adverse and in things prosperous; in short, in all the unforeseen occurrences of life. And to this will of God we must always be ready to submit, whether the thing pleases us or not, in death as well as in life, always providing that it is nothing manifestly opposed to the known will of God, for that must always come first, and this is how I answer the second part of the question. To make this clearer to you, I will tell you something that I have read lately in the Life of the great St. Anselm.[3] We are told that all the time that he was Prior and Abbot of his Monastery, he was greatly loved by all because he was so condescending, and so yielding to the will of those about him, whether they were his monks, or only strangers. If any one said to him: "Father, your Reverence ought to take a little broth," he took it at once. If another person the next moment said: "Father, that will be bad for you," he left it instantly. Thus in all things in which there was no question of offending God, he submitted to the will of his brethren, who doubtless followed their own inclinations, as did still more seculars who turned him round their fingers as they pleased. Now this extraordinary pliancy and con­descension of the Saint was not approved of by all, much as all loved him. One day, therefore, some of his brethren came to remonstrate with him, saying that in their opinion this was not as it should be. They declared that he ought not thus to yield to every one's will, but should make those over whom he was set in authority bend to his.

 

"My children," said the Saint, " perhaps you do not know why I do this. Remembering that Our Lord has commanded us [Mt. 7:12; Lk. 6:31] to do to others as we would have them do to us, I cannot act otherwise; for I desire that God should do my will, and there­fore I gladly do that of my brethren and my neighbours, hoping that it may please God some­times to do mine. Moreover, I have another motive, namely, that next to recognising God's will as made known to us, I cannot discover His good pleasure more certainly, than through the voice of my neighbour. For God does not speak to me Himself in words, still less docs He send His Angels to make known to me His pleasure. Stones, plants, animals do not speak; it is only man then who can declare to me the will of my God, and therefore I attach myself to that as closely as I can.  God commands me to show charity to my neighbour; now it is great charity to live in harmony with one another, and I find no better means of effecting this, than by being gentle and considerate. Gentle and humble condescension ought to appear in all our actions. My chief reason, however, is that I believe God manifests His will to me through that of my brethren, and therefore that every time I comply with their wish in anything, I am obeying Him. Moreover, has not Our Lord said that unless we become as little children we shall not enter into the Kingdom, of Heaven? [Mt. 18:3].  Do not wonder then if I am gentle and yielding as a child, since in being so I am only doing as my Saviour has commanded. It is of little consequence whether I go to bed or stay up, whether I go there or remain here, but it would be a great imperfection not to submit in such matters to my neighbour."

 

So, my dear sisters, you see that the great St. Anselm submitted in everything not contrary to the Commandments of God, or of Holy Church, or of the Rules; for of course to them obedience must take precedence.  I feel sure that if they had tried to induce him to do anything in   opposition to these, he would not have done it. But apart from this, in matters indifferent, it was his general rule to comply in all things and with the wish of all people. The glorious St. Paul, after having de­clared [Rom. 8:38, 39], that nothing should separate him from the love of God, neither death nor life, nor Angels nor Principalities, and that hell itself, though all its forces were banded together against him, would have no powers to do so, adds: I know nothing better than to make myself all things to all men [cf. 1 Cor. 9:22] to rejoice with them that rejoice, to weep with them that weep [Rom. 12:15], and to make myself one with all. St. Pachomius being one day busy making mats, a child who was watching the Saint (he took children at that time to instruct them in religion) said to him: "My Father, you are not doing that right; it ought to be done quite differently." The Saint, although he made these mats exceedingly well, got up directly and seated himself close to the child, who showed him how it ought to be done. One of the monks present addressed him in these words: "Father, in yielding to the will of this child you commit two errors, for you expose him to the danger of vanity, and you spoil your mats, which were much better as you were making them before." To this the Saint replied: "My brother, if God permits the child to be vain, perhaps He may give me humility as a reward, and when He has given it me, I shall be able to impart some also to this child. There is no great danger to be apprehended from twisting the rushes one way or another in making mats, but there would be great danger in not laying to heart those cele­brated words of Our Saviour, unless you become as little children[4], you shall not enter into the Kingdom of My Father." Oh! my sisters, it is a great blessing to be so docile and pliable that any one can turn you round his fingers!

 

Now it is not the saints only who have taught us this practice of the submission of our will, but Our Lord Himself has done so, as much by example as by precept.  How by precept?  Well, what is the counsel of self-denial, but the absolute renunciation on all possible occasions of doing our own will and exercising our own private judgment, in order to follow the will of another, and to submit ourselves to all, excepting always in that which would offend God.  "But," you may say, "I see very clearly that what they wish me to do proceeds from a human will and a natural inclination: and therefore that it is not from an inspiration of God that my Mother or my sister insists upon my doing this or that." No, perhaps God had not inspired this desire, but He has inspired you to obey it, and if you fail to comply, you are going against the determination to do in all things God's will, and consequently neglect­ing the care you ought to take of your perfection. You must always then submit to what is asked of you in order to do the will of God, provided it be not contrary to that will, as signified to you in the manner above mentioned.

 

Now, one word respecting the will of creatures. This may be divided under three heads: the will which afflicts us; that which indulges us; and that which is unseasonable and ill-judged. The first, we must make up our minds firmly to accept, without hesitation. Generally speaking, we suffer acutely in thus following the wills of others, as they are for the most part opposed to our own, which does not like being thwarted. We must therefore accept as a suffering this task of carrying out another's will, and make use of such daily contradictions to mortify ourselves, accepting them calmly and lovingly. As regards the will of indulgence, there is no need of any exhortation to induce us to follow it. We willingly obey in agreeable things, and meet this kind of desire more than half-way, and tender our submission to it. The question here is not as to how we should behave when we come in contact with this sort of order. There is no doubt at all in the matter; but it is very different as regards those wishes which are unseasonable and, as far as we can see, unreasonable. Here is a difficulty indeed! Why should I do the will of one of my sisters, rather than my own? Is not mine quite as much in conformity with the will of God as hers in this trifling matter? Why must I believe that what she tells me to do is an inspiration of God, rather than something quite different which my own will urges me to do?

 

It is just in such cases as these, my dear sisters, that Almighty God desires us to gain the reward of submission. For if we could always see a reason why we should be ordered or begged to do this or that, there would be no grout merit on our part in our doing it, nor should we have any repugnance, because our mind would doubtless acquiesce readily. But when the reasons are hidden from us, then it is that our will rebels, that our judgment resists, and that we are roused to opposition. Now, these are the very occasions when we must overcome ourselves, and with all the simplicity of a child set to the work, neither discussing the matter nor reasoning about it, only saying: "I know that the will of God is, that I do my neighbour's will rather than my own, and therefore I set myself to do it; without, troubling myself to consider whether it is God's will that I should do what I am ordered by the passion or inclination of another, or by an inspiration, or by a reasonable suggestion."   In all these small matters simplicity must guide our steps. What, would   be the sense, I ask you, of spending an hour in meditation to find out whether it is the will of God that I should drink when I am asked to do so, or abstain either as a penance, or from sobriety, and the same in other trifling matters not worth consideration; especially if I see that I can please my neighbour ever so little by doing them?

 

Neither must we, even in matters of consequence, lose time in thinking what should be our course of action. In such cases we must at once apply to our Superiors to learn what to do. After that, we must think no more about the matter, abiding absolutely by their opinion, since God has given them to us to guide our souls into the perfection of His love. For certainly if we ought to condescend thus to do  the will of any chance individual, far more ought we to do this in the case of our Superiors, whom we ought to regard as God's visible representatives, for they are indeed His lieutenants. This is why, even though we may know that they have natural inclinations, and that perhaps passion and sudden impulses move them to command their inferiors, or reprove their faults unreasonably and harshly, we must not be at all astonished. They are men like others, and consequently liable to have inclinations and passions; but it is not lawful for us to judge that what they command us to do proceeds from passion and inclination, and we must beware of doing so. Even if we know this for a fact, we must still obey quietly and lovingly, or submit to the reproof with humility.

 

It is true that it is a hard matter for self-love to be exposed to all these things. But remember we should not try to please self-love, or listen to it; but to the divine Lover of our souls, Jesus. He asks of His beloved spouses a holy imitation of that perfect obedience which He rendered, not only to His Father and to His most just and good will, but also to His earthly parents, and even to His enemies, who were assuredly following their own passions when they laid on Him such heavy burdens, and yet Jesus submitted to them, quietly, humbly, lovingly. We shall indeed see clearly that those words of Our Lord which command us to take up our cross, must be understood to enjoin taking in good part the contradictions to which holy obedience subjects us at every turn, although they may be slight and unimportant.

 

I will give you another admirable example to make you understand the value of these little crosses; I mean the value of obedience, self-effacement, and pliability of will in following the desire of any one, but especially that of our Superiors. St. Gertrude became a nun in a convent in which there was a Superior who was aware that the blessed Saint was of a most frail and delicate constitution. The Superior on this account had her treated mom tenderly than the other nuns, not permitting her to practise the austerities customary in that Order. What, then, do you think the poor Religious did in order to become a Saint? Nothing but submit with all simplicity to the Superior's will. And although her fervour would have made her long to do what the others were doing, yet she gave no sign of this. When told to go to bed, she went at once, without a word of reply, being certain that, through obedience she would enjoy the presence of her divine Spouse there, as perfectly as if she had been in the choir with her sisters and companions. And to declare the great peace and tranquillity of mind which she acquired by this practice, Our Lord revealed to St. Mechtilde, her companion, that if in this life they desired to find Him, they should seek for Him, first, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, and after that, in the heart of St. Gertrude.[5] We need not be surprised at this, since the Bridegroom in the Canticle of Canticles says f that He reposes in the midday. He does not say that He rests in the morning or in the evening, but at midday, because at noon there is no shade; and the heart of this great Saint was a true noontide, in which there was no shadow of scruples or of self-will. Her soul could thus fully enjoy the presence of her Beloved, Whose delight was to be with her. In a word, obedience is the salt which gives savour and relish to all our actions, and makes them worthy of eternal life.

 

And now I wish to say a word or two about confession. In the first place, I desire that you should hold your confessors in great honour, for, besides our obligation to reverence the Priesthood, it is incumbent upon us to look upon them as Angels whom God has sent to reconcile us with His divine Majesty.[6] And not that only, but we must regard them as the lieutenants of God upon earth, even though they may sometimes show themselves to be but human, liable to imperfections. For instance, should they, prompted by curiosity, ask some question not actually concerning confession, such as: what your name is; whether you do penance; what virtues you practise; whether you are troubled by temptations, and so on—I should answer them, although you are not obliged to do so; for you must never say that you are not allowed to tell them anything except the faults of which you are accusing yourself. No, you must never make use of this device, for it is not true. You can say anything you like in confession, provided that you only speak of what concerns yourself individually, and not of anything that relates to your sisters[7]. If you should be afraid of answering some question they ask you, thinking that you might got into difficulties by so doing, as, for instance, any matter as to temptations, which you shrink from speaking about, lost, they should want to know them in detail, you can answer: "Father, I have some temptations, but, by the grace of God, I do not think that I have offended His goodness as regards them"; but never say that you have been forbidden to confess this or that. Tell your confessor in good faith all that troubles you, if you wish to do so; but again I warn you, beware of speaking of a third or of a fourth party.

 

In the second place, we must remember that on our part we have a duty towards our confessors, that, namely, of being silent as to what they say to us, unless indeed it is something which would greatly edify our neighbours; more than that we must not say. If it should happen that they give you some piece of advice which is contrary to your Rules and your manner of living, listen to them with humility and reverence, and then do what your Rules permit, and nothing else. Confessors do not always mean that you must do what they tell you under pain of sin; their advice must be taken as simple direction. At the saino time you must esteem and value highly all that is said to you in confession, for you little know how great profit there is in this Sacrament for souls who approach it with the requisite humility. If any confessor should wish to give you for your penance something which would be contrary to your Rule, ask him quietly to change it into another, as being contrary to the Rule you fear to scandalise your sisters by performing it.[8] Again, you must never complain of the confessor. If through any fault of his something occurs in confession to disturb you, you can tell the Superior simply, that you would very much like to go to confession to some one else, without saying any more. By behaving thus you will not disclose the imperfection of the confessor, and yet you will have the comfort of confessing as you please. But this, however, must not be done lightly, or for un­important reasons. You must avoid extremes, for though it is not well to put up with serious defects in confession, we must not be so sensitive as to be unable to endure some small ones.

 

In the third place, I wish the sisters of this house to be most careful to specify their sins in confession. I mean, that those who have found nothing requiring absolution, must confess some special sin; for instance, to say that we accuse ourselves of having felt some stirrings of anger, sadness, and so on, is not to the purpose. Anger and sadness being passions, their stirrings within us are not sins, seeing that it is not in our power to prevent them[9]. Anger must be unbridled, or it must lead to unbridled actions to be a sin. We must specify something which is sin.[10]

 

I wish you, moreover, to take great care to be quite truthful, simple, and charitable in confession (truthful and simple are really the same thing), telling your faults clearly, without disguise or artifice. You should remember that you are speaking to God, from Whom nothing can be hidden. You should be also charitable, not bringing your neighbour in any way into your confession. For example, having to confess that you have murmured to yourself, or even to the sisters because the Superior has spoken coldly to you, do not go and say that you murmured at, the too harsh correction she gave you; but simply say that you murmured against the Superior[11].

 

Tell only the evil you have done, and not the cause which urged you to commit it; and never, directly or indirectly, disclose the sins of others in confessing your own, nor give your confessor grounds for suspecting who contributed to your sin. Do not make any useless accusations in confession. You have had imperfect thoughts about your neighbour, thoughts of vanity, or oven worse[12]; you have had distractions in your prayers; well, if you have deliberately dwelt upon them, say so in good faith, und do not content yourself with saying that you have not been careful enough in keeping yourself recollected during the time of prayer.

 

If you have been negligent in rejecting a distraction say so, for these general accusations are of no use in confession.

 

I also wish, my dear daughters, that in this house great honour should be shown towards those who preach the Word of God. Certainly we are bound to do this, for they are celestial messengers sent to us by God, to show us the road to salvation. We must regard them as such, and not as mere men. For although they do not speak as well as the Angels, yet we must not on that account abate one iota of the humility and reverence with which the Word of God ought to be received, seeing that it is always the same, as pure and as holy as if it were uttered and delivered to us by the Angels. I notice that when I write to people on bad paper, and consequently in bad handwriting, they thank me for my letters with quite as much affection as when I write to them on the best paper, and in my best handwriting.  And why?  Because they pay little heed to the inferiority of the paper or of the writing, and think only of me, the writer.  So should it be also with the Word of God; we should not regard the person who brings it, or declares it to us.  It ought to be sufficient for us that God makes use of this preacher to teach us. And seeing that God honours him so much as to speak by his mouth, how is it that we can possibly fail to respect and honour his person?

 

 

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[1] On the subject of condescension (MS.) On Condescension (Coll.).

[2] Book 8 and Book 9

[3] in Eadmer, I. lib. I, c. vi.

[4] As little children – in simplicity, humility, and compliance.

[5] Liber de Gratia speciali, Pars. VI, c. ii.

[6] Cf. The Spiritual Directory for the Sisters of the Visitation, Art. xi. (Book of Customs, Art. xxi.).

[7] in confession.—What regards yourself individually ; but as for your sisters' concerns, you must reply that you know nothing about what penances they may perform, or what, virtues they may practise. (MS. and Coll.)

[8] Cf. The Directory, Art. xi.

[9] anger.—You might as well say that you had several times been stirred by emotions of joy, for anger is a passion as much as is joy or sadness, and we must not believe that all the emotions of anger are sinful, especially as it is not in our power to prevent these assaults. We shall always be subject to passions, whether we will or no ; those monks who pretended to say the contrary were condemned by the Church, and by all Doctors and Councils. (MS. and Coll.)

[10] which is sin.—For example: I accuse myself that when I was in the world, I once did such a thing; not saying: I was disobedient; but explaining in what I disobeyed, whether in a slight or grave matter, I wish you to remember this, because it must be put in practice. (MS. and Coll.)

[11] against the Superior.—Or quite simply: "I murmured," and nothing else, unless you are obliged to say whether to yourself or to some one else, for you do not know the danger and the evil there is in this. (MS. and Coll.)

[12] or even worse.—If you have deliberately dwelt on such thoughts, say so, in good faith, and the same with wilful distractions ; or if, for want of proper preparation at the beginning of office, you have said it with distraction. But if that is not so, do not trouble yourself to say that you were careless about recollection during the time of your prayers, for what will the confessor understand from such an accusation? Besides, you yourself may be mistaken about that, since it is not always our own fault that we are not attentive at our prayers. We must simply do what we can to keep our attention, and when we fail, humble ourselves gently, without scruples as to sin where there is none. If you have been negligent in rejecting a distraction: that is quite another thing; confess it, simply without any preamble about your continual want of recollection of the presence of God when at your prayers; for that is of no use at all in confession. (MS. and Coll.)

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