Salesian Literature

Chapter 6  :  Disinterested love in what concerns God’s service

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Things that happen are the almost exclusive means of recognizing God’s positive or permissive will.  As long as we are unaware of what God wants here and now, we must cling as closely as possible to his declared will, which has been revealed to us.  But the moment it becomes apparent what God wants of us, we must immediately fall in with it, obey it lovingly.

 

My mother[1] and myself (it makes no difference) is ill in bed … how can I tell whether or not God means the sickness to be fatal?  I am completely in the dark, that is certain.  But this I do know: while I await the outcome allotted by his permissive will, he intends me – by his declared will – to do everything possible to get well, as conscientiously as I can.  However, if God’s will permits the disease to get the better of the remedies, and end in death … then, as soon as the event vouches for it, I shall lovingly comply in the apex of my soul, whatever reluctance I may feel in the lower part.

 

Picture Abraham, knife in hand, arm raised, ready to deal the death-blow to his only son: all he wants is to fulfil God’s purpose.  At the same time, picture the angel, a messenger of God’s will, calling a halt (cf. Gen. 22:10-22):  immediately Abraham stays his hand, equally prepared to sacrifice or spare his son – the boy’s life or death indifferent to him, where God’s will make itself felt.  At God’s command to sacrifice Isaac he is not dismayed; at God’s exemption he does not rejoice.  It is all the same to this great heart, as long as God’s will is served.

 

The fact is that God often fires us with ambitious aims, which he does not mean to succeed, so as to furnish us with a chance of displaying the virtue of perfect disinterestedness.  When this happens, not only are we take up and carry out the work to hand as boldly, bravely and steadfastly as we can, but also we are to accept meekly and calmly whatever outcomes God sees fit to send …

 

St. Louis was inspired to cross the seas and win back the holy land; it turned out otherwise, and he meekly accepted the reverse.  His calm submission means more to me than his high-souled resolve.  St. Francis of Assisi made his way to Egypt, to convert the infidels or to win martyrdom from them; such was God’s will.  Yet Francis came home again with neither aim accomplished; and that too was God’s will.  It was no small task fro the saintly Ignatius of Loyola to set on foot the Society of Jesus.  He saw it do great things, and he foresaw even greater in the future; yet he had the courage to resolve that, should he see it disbanded – the keenest disappointment he could experience – within half an hour he would be unwaveringly at peace with God’s will.

 

If this is the way of it, though, there would seem to be no call for us to bother about anything; we should just leave maters to the mercy of events.  We are to overlook nothing that can contribute to the success of whatever it is to which God has set our hands; but on one condition – that, if the result s unfavourable, we accept it meekly and calmly.  While we are commanded to take great care over what concerns God’s glory and our duty, we are not held responsible for the outcome; there is nothing we can do about that.

 

Again, suppose some venture prompted by inspiration fails through the fault of those to whom it is entrusted – how can you speak of having to comply with God’s will in the circumstances?  After all, I shall be told, God’s will does not thwart the outcome; that is my fault, for which God’s will is not responsible.  True, my child, I should answer, your fault did not occur because God directly willed it; God is not the author of sin.  For all that, however, God does will your mistake to be followed by failure, your efforts to come to nothing as a punishment; although his goodness cannot allow him to will your fault, his justice does lead him to intend the penalty you endure for it.

 

If, then, it does happen that our good aims come to nothing, as a punishment for our sins, we need to do two things: detest our sin by sincere repentance, and accept the punishment it brings … for just as sin contradicts God’s will, so does punishment fulfil it.

 

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[1]  Francis’ Mother was Madame de Boisy, née Frances Sionnaz (1552-1609).

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