Holiness consists in: Firstly, a true and sincere contempt of oneself. Secondly, a total mortification of one’s own appetites. Thirdly, a perfect conformity to the will of God. He who is lacking in any of these three dispositions is outside the way of perfection. The will of God, rather than the glory of God, should be the end proposed in all our actions, because when we do the will of God we also promote His glory, but when we propose to ourselves the glory of God, we may easily be deceived into doing our own will, under the pretext of promoting God’s glory. St. Francis de Sales has written: “There are many who say, “My God, I give myself to you without reserve”; but there are few who embrace complete abandonment in practice. It consists in receiving with absolute indifference whatever befalls us, and all that comes our way from the dispositions of divine providence - sorrows and joys, contempt and insults, honour and glory. Here is the certain mark that distinguishes the man who loves Jesus Christ in all reality: to suffer with joy, and to welcome, with open arms, things which are unpleasant and opposed to self-love. This is the teaching of The Imitation of Christ: “He, who is not prepared to suffer all things, and to do the will of the beloved, is not worthy to be called a lover.” On the other hand Father Baltasar Alvarez assures us that the man who labours, in calm and peace, in all things submissive to God’s will, “is speeding rapidly to God on the fast express.” “This is the richest reward that any of us can receive,” writes St. Teresa, “the testimony of God Himself, that He is pleased with us.” In explanation of these words, I add that the strongest and most certain testimony we can have from God, that we are giving Him pleasure, is the fact that we are welcoming, in peace, the crosses that He is sending to us. God is always pleased with our gratitude for His benefits, but we are assured by Blessed John of Avila that one “Blessed be God”, in time of adversity, is worth six thousand “Te Deum”, in the time of prosperity.
It is well for us to remember here that we should not only receive with thanksgiving those adversities that come directly from the hand of God, such as sickness, poor talents, and accidental losses of money or property; but also those which come indirectly from the hand of God, and directly from the hand of man; such are persecutions, thefts, and other injuries. This is because, actually, they do come to us from God. One day, David was vilely insulted by one of his vassals names Semei. This man not only insulted with words but he also stoned him. One of David’s followers wanted to punish this audacious man. But David answered: “Let him curse me; it is God who has ordered him to curse David.” (II Kings, 16, 10). By this he meant to say: God has made use of him to punish me for my sins, therefore do not stop him from offering me these affronts. ….……………. From the book: The Love of God in Practice. By St. Alphonsus Liguori Chapter 13 |
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January 2024
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