Salesian Literature

Chapter 3  :  Union of our wills with God’s permissive will in the difficulties of the spiritual life – by deference

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Love of the cross leads us to go out of our way to meet unpleasant things – fasting, vigils, hair shirts, and other bodily mortifications; it makes us give up pleasures, honours, riches.  God finds the love behind these practices most attractive.  Still, such love is even more pleasing when we accept toil, trouble, trials patiently, calmly, gracefully, because God means them to befall us.  Love is at its highest, however, when we go further than calmly, patiently accepting trials; when we welcome them, love them, clasp them, because they come to us through God’s positive or permissive will.

 

There are times when our souls are harassed to such an extent by inward trials that all their powers and faculties are deadened through being deprived of all possible relief, through being aware and afraid of all possible discouragement.  After our Saviour’s example, we begin to grow dismayed and distressed like a man in his last moments, until we can truthfully echo our Lord’s cry: My soul is ready to die with sorrow (Mk. 14:33, 34; Mt. 26:37-39).

 

Deep down inside ourselves we are led to wish, to plead that if it were possible, this chalice might pass us by. The soul’s very peak, its apex, alone remains riveted to God’s love, to his permissive will, in simple submission: Only as thy will is, eternal Father, not as mine is (Lk. 22:42).

 

There is nothing loving or peaceful about such submission; genuine, steady, indomitable and heartfelt though it is, it can be scarcely felt.  It seems to withdraw to the very core of the soul, the centre of the citadel, where it stands its ground, though all around is unrest, unhappiness.  The more such circumstances deprive love of all encouragement, cut short all assistance to the soul’s powers and faculties, the more credit it deserves for remaining so staunchly faithful.

 

Such union, such compliance with God’s permissive will, is achieved either by the virtue of deference or by the more perfect virtue of disinterestedness.

 

The practice of deference involves effort, involves submission.  Life is preferable to death, for instance; but we defer to death because God permits it.  We would rather live, if that met with God’s approval; in fact we turn to him for length of life.  We may be ready to die, but we have a much greater readiness to live; we may depart this world submissively enough, but we would be much happier to remain.

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