Consideration XXXVI — Conformity to the Will of God

"Et vita in voluntate eius" (Ps. 29:6).

Point I

All our salvation and all our perfection consist in loving God. "Qui non diligit manet in morte" (1 John 3:14). "Caritas est vinculum perfectionis" (Col. 3:14). But the perfection of love then consists in conforming our will to the divine will; for this is the principal effect of love, as the Areopagite says — to unite the wills of lovers, so that they have but one heart and one will. Our works, then, please God — our penances, communions, almsgiving — insofar as they are according to the divine will; for otherwise they are not virtuous, but defective and deserving of punishment.

This is what our Savior came principally to teach us from heaven by His example. Here is what He said upon entering the world, as the Apostle writes: "Hostiam et oblationem noluisti, corpus autem aptasti mihi. Tunc dixi: Ecce venio, ut faciam, Deus, voluntatem tuam" (Heb. 10:5). You, My Father, have refused the sacrifices of men; You wish Me to sacrifice to You by death this Body You have given Me — behold, I am ready to do Your will. And this He declared many times, saying that He had come to earth for no other purpose than to do the will of His Father: "Descendi de coelo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed voluntatem eius qui misit me" (John 6:38). And in this He wished us to recognize His great love for the Father, in seeing that He went to die in order to obey His will: "Ut cognoscat mundus, quia diligo Patrem, et sicut mandatum dedit mihi Pater, sic facio, surgite, eamus" (John 14:31). Then He said that He recognized as His own only those who did the divine will: "Quicunque enim fecerit voluntatem Patris mei qui in coelis est, ipse meus frater, et soror, et mater est" (Matt. 12:50). This has been the sole aim and desire of all the saints in all their works — the fulfillment of the divine will. Blessed Henry Suso said: "I would rather be the vilest worm on earth with the will of God than a Seraph with my own will." And St. Teresa: "Everything that one who practices prayer must strive for is to conform his will to the divine will; and be assured (she added) that in this consists the highest perfection; whoever practices it most excellently will receive the greatest gifts from God and will make the most progress in the interior life." The blessed in heaven love God perfectly for this reason — because they are in all things conformed to the divine will. Hence Jesus Christ taught us to ask for the grace to do the will of God on earth as the saints do it in heaven: "Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in coelo et in terra." Whoever does the divine will becomes a man after God's own heart, as the Lord indeed called David: "Inveni virum secundum cor meum, qui faciet omnes voluntates meas." And why? Because David was always ready to do whatever God willed: "Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum" (Ps. 56:8; Ps. 107:2). And he asked nothing else of the Lord than to teach him to do His will: "Doce me facere voluntatem tuam" (Ps. 142:10).

Oh, how valuable a single act of perfect resignation to the will of God is! It suffices to make a saint. While St. Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus appeared to him, enlightened him, and converted him. The saint then did nothing else but offer himself to do the divine will: "Domine, quid me vis facere?" (Acts 9:6). And immediately Jesus Christ declared him a vessel of election and apostle of the Gentiles: "Vas electionis est mihi iste, ut portet nomen meum coram gentibus" (Acts 9:15). Whoever fasts, whoever gives alms, whoever mortifies himself for God, gives God a part of himself; but whoever gives Him his will gives Him everything. And this is that "everything" God asks of us — the heart, that is, the will: "Fili mi, praebe cor tuum mihi" (Prov. 23:26). This, in short, must be the aim of all our desires, of our devotions, meditations, communions, and so forth — the fulfillment of the divine will. This must be the goal of all our prayers — to obtain the grace of doing what God wants of us. And in this we must ask the intercession of our holy advocates and especially of Most Holy Mary, that they may obtain for us light and strength to conform to the will of God in all things, but especially in embracing those things to which our self-love is repugnant. The Venerable John of Avila said: "A single 'Blessed be God' in adversity is worth more than six thousand acts of thanksgiving in things pleasing to us."

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, all my ruin in the past has been in not wishing to conform myself to Your holy will. I detest and curse a thousand times those days and those moments in which, to follow my own will, I contradicted Your will, O God of my soul. Now I give it entirely to You; receive it, O my Lord, and bind it so firmly to Your love that it may never rebel against You again. I love You, infinite Goodness, and for the love I bear You, I offer myself entirely to You. Dispose of me and of all my things as You please, for I resign myself in all things to Your holy will. Free me from the disgrace of doing anything against Your will, and then treat me as You wish. Eternal Father, hear me for the love of Jesus Christ. My Jesus, hear me through the merits of Your passion.

And You, Most Holy Mary, help me; obtain for me the grace of fulfilling the divine will in me, in which consists all my salvation; and nothing more do I ask of you.

Point II

We must conform ourselves not only to those adverse things that come directly from God, such as illnesses, desolations of spirit, and losses of property or relatives, but also to those that come from God indirectly — that is, through men — such as slanders, contempt, injustices, and all other kinds of persecutions. And let us note that when we are offended by someone in our property or honor, God does not will the sin of the person who offends us, but He does will our poverty and our humiliation. It is certain that whatever happens, all occurs by the divine will: "Ego Dominus formans lucem et tenebras, faciens pacem, et creans malum" (Isa. 45:7). And before this, Ecclesiasticus said: "Bona et mala, vita et mors a Deo sunt" (Sirach 11:14). All things, in short, come from God — both good things and bad.

They are called evils because we call them so, and we make them evils; for if we accepted them as we should, with resignation from the hands of God, they would become for us not evils but goods. The jewels that most richly adorn the crown of the saints are the tribulations accepted for God, thinking that everything comes from His hands. The holy Job, when he was told that the Sabeans had taken his goods, what did he answer? "Dominus dedit, Dominus abstulit" (Job 1:21). He did not say: The Lord gave me these goods, and the Sabeans have taken them from me. Rather: The Lord gave them to me, and the Lord has taken them away. And therefore he blessed God, thinking that everything had happened by His will: "Sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est, sit nomen Domini benedictum" (ibid.). The holy martyrs Epictetus and Astion, when they were tormented with iron hooks and burning torches, said nothing else but: "Lord, let Your will be done in us!" And in dying, these were the last words they spoke: "Blessed be You, O eternal God, for You give us the grace to fulfill Your holy will in us." Caesarius relates that a certain monk, though he did not lead a life more austere than the others, nonetheless worked many miracles. The Abbot, marveling at this, asked him one day what devotions he practiced. He answered that he was more imperfect than the others, but that he was intent on only this one thing: conforming himself in everything to the divine will. And about that damage (the superior continued) that the enemy did to our farm the other day — you had no displeasure from it? No, my father, he said; on the contrary, I thanked the Lord, since He does or permits all things for our good. And from this the Abbot recognized the sanctity of this good religious.

We must do the same: when adverse things happen to us, let us accept them all from the divine hands, not only with patience but with joy, after the example of the Apostles, who rejoiced at seeing themselves mistreated for the love of Jesus Christ: "Ibant gaudentes a conspectu concilii, quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pati" (Acts 5:41). And what greater happiness than to suffer some cross and to know that by embracing it we give pleasure to God? If, then, we wish to live in continual peace, let us strive from this day forward to embrace the divine will, always saying in everything that happens to us: "Ita, Pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te" (Matt. 11:26). Lord, this is pleasing to You; so let it be done. To this end we must direct all our meditations, communions, visits, and prayers — always praying God to make us conform to His will. And let us always offer ourselves, saying: My God, here we are; do with us whatever pleases You. St. Teresa offered herself to God at least fifty times a day, so that He might dispose of her as He wished.

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my divine King, my beloved Redeemer, come and reign You alone from this day forward in my soul. Take my entire will, so that it may desire and will nothing but what You will, my Jesus. In the past I have so displeased You by opposing Your holy will; this gives me more pain than if I had suffered every other evil; I repent, I am sorry with all my heart. I deserve punishment, and I do not refuse it; only free me from the punishment of being deprived of Your love, and then do with me whatever pleases You. I love You, my dear Redeemer; I love You, my God; and because I love You, I wish to do everything that You wish. O will of God, You are my love. O blood of my Jesus, You are my hope; from You I hope from this day forward to remain always united to the divine will. It shall be my guide, my desire, my love, and my peace. In it I wish always to live and to rest. "In pace in idipsum dormiam, et requiescam." I shall always say in everything that happens to me: My God, this You have willed, and so I will it too. My God, I will only what You will; let Your will always be done in me. "Fiat voluntas tua." My Jesus, through Your merits grant me the grace that I may always repeat this beautiful saying of love: "Fiat voluntas tua, fiat voluntas tua."

O Mary, my mother, so you died — with perfect conformity to the divine will; obtain for me that I too may die thus. My Queen, for all the love you bear Jesus Christ, obtain for me this grace; from you I hope for it.

Point III

Whoever is united to the divine will enjoys even in this life a perpetual peace. "Non contristabit iustum, quidquid ei acciderit" (Prov. 12:21). Yes, because a soul can have no greater contentment than to see fulfilled whatever it wills. Whoever wills nothing other than what God wills has all he wants, because whatever happens, all occurs by the will of God. Resigned souls, says Salvian, if they are humiliated, this they will; if they suffer poverty, they wish to be poor; in short, they will everything that happens, and therefore they lead a blessed life: "Humiles sunt, hoc volunt: pauperes sunt, paupertate delectantur; itaque beati dicendi sunt." The cold comes, the heat, the rain, the wind; and whoever is united to the will of God says: I will this cold, this heat, and so on, because God so wills it. That loss comes, that persecution; illness comes, death comes; and he says: I wish to be wretched, persecuted, sick; I wish even to die, because God so wills it. Whoever rests in the divine will and takes pleasure in everything the Lord does is like one standing above the clouds: he sees the storms raging below them, but he is neither harmed nor disturbed by them. This is that peace which, as the Apostle says, "exsuperat omnem sensum" (Phil. 4:7) — surpasses all the delights of the world — and it is a stable peace that admits no changes. "Stultus sicut luna mutatur, sapiens in sapientia manet sicut sol" (Sirach 27:12). The fool (that is, the sinner) changes like the moon, which today waxes and tomorrow wanes: today he is seen laughing, tomorrow weeping; today cheerful and all gentleness, tomorrow afflicted and furious — in short, he changes as the prosperous or adverse things that befall him change. But the just man is like the sun, always equal and uniform in his tranquility, in whatever happens; for his peace consists in conforming himself to the divine will. "Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" (Luke 2:14). St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, upon hearing the words "Will of God" spoken, felt such consolation that she went outside herself in an ecstasy of love. In the lower part of our nature, some sting of adverse things will not fail to make itself felt; but in the higher part, peace will always reign when the will is united to that of God. "Gaudium vestrum nemo tollet a vobis" (John 16:22). But what madness is that of those who resist the will of God! What God wills must without fail be accomplished. "Voluntati eius quis resistit?" (Rom. 9:19). Hence the wretched must already suffer the cross, but without fruit and without peace. "Quis restitit ei, et pacem habuit?" (Job 9:4).

And what else does God will, if not our good? "Voluntas Dei sanctificatio vestra" (1 Thess. 4:3). He wishes to see us saints, so as to see us happy in this life and blessed in the next. Let us understand that the crosses that come from God "omnia cooperantur in bonum" (Rom. 8:28). Even the punishments in this life come not for our ruin, but so that we may amend and gain eternal blessedness. "Ad emendationem non ad perditionem nostram evenisse credamus" (Judith 8:27). God loves us so much that He not only desires but is solicitous for the salvation of each one of us. "Deus sollicitus est mei" (Ps. 39:18). And what will that Lord deny us who has given us His own Son? "Qui proprio Filio suo non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum, quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?" (Rom. 8:32). Let us abandon ourselves, then, always into the hands of that God who always has our good at heart while we are in this life. "Omnem sollicitudinem vestram proiicientes in eum, quoniam ipsi cura est de vobis" (1 Pet. 5:7). Think of Me (the Lord said to St. Catherine of Siena), and I will always think of you. Let us often say with the sacred spouse: "Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi" (Song of Songs 2:16). My beloved thinks of my good, and I wish to think of nothing else but pleasing Him and uniting myself to His holy will. And we should not pray, said the holy Abbot Nilus, that God do what we wish, but that we do what He wills.

Whoever always does this will lead a blessed life and die a holy death. Whoever dies entirely resigned to the divine will leaves others a moral certainty of his salvation. But whoever in life is not united to the divine will, will not be so in death either, and will not be saved. Let us strive, then, to make ourselves familiar with certain sayings of Scripture, by which we will keep ourselves always united to the will of God. "Domine, quid me vis facere?" Lord, tell me what You wish of me, and I wish to do it all. "Ecce ancilla Domini" — Behold, my soul is Your servant; command, and You shall be obeyed. "Tuus sum ego, salvum me fac" — Save me, Lord, and then do with me whatever pleases You; I am Yours, I am no longer my own. When some heavier adversity befalls us, let us say immediately: "Ita, Pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te" (Matt. 11:26). My God, this is pleasing to You; so let it be done. Above all, let the third petition of the Our Father be dear to us: "Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra." Let us say it often with affection and repeat it many times. Happy are we if we live and end our life saying: "Fiat, fiat voluntas tua!"

Affections and Prayers

O my Redeemer Jesus, You consumed Your life on the cross by the force of suffering, to become the cause of my salvation. Have pity on me, then, and save me; and do not permit that a soul redeemed by You with so many sufferings and so much love should hate You eternally in hell. You have done all that could be done to oblige me to love You. This You wished to make me understand when, before expiring on Calvary, You spoke those loving words: "Consummatum est." But how have I then repaid Your love? In the past I can well say that I did everything I could to displease You and oblige You to hate me. I thank You that You have endured me with such patience and now give me time to remedy my ingratitude and to love You before I die. Yes, I wish to love You, and I wish to love You greatly, my Savior, my God, my Love, and my All; and I wish to do everything that pleases You. I give You my entire will, my entire liberty, and all that is mine. I sacrifice to You even now my life, accepting that death You will send me, with all the sufferings and circumstances that will accompany it. I unite from now this sacrifice of mine with the great sacrifice You, my Jesus, made for me of Your life on the cross. I wish to die to do Your will. Ah, through the merits of Your passion, give me the grace to remain in life always resigned to Your dispositions; and when death comes, grant that I may embrace it with a total conformity to Your holy will. I wish to die saying: "Fiat voluntas tua."

Mary, my mother, so you died; obtain for me that I too may die so.