«Et vita in voluntate eius» — "And life is in His will" (Ps. 29:6).
Point I
All our eternal salvation and all our perfection consist in loving God. «Qui non diligit manet in morte» — "He who does not love abides in death" (1 John 3:14). «Caritas est vinculum perfectionis» — "Charity is the bond of perfection" (Col. 3). But the perfection of love consists in making our will uniform with the divine will; for this, as the Areopagite says, is the principal effect of love: to unite the wills of the lovers, so that they have but one heart and one will. Our works, then — our penances, communions, alms — are pleasing to God insofar as they are according to the divine will; for otherwise they are not virtuous but defective and deserving of punishment.
This our Savior came to teach us principally from heaven by His example. Behold what He said on entering the world, as St. Paul 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 victims of men; You will that I sacrifice to You by death this body that You have given me: behold me ready to do Your will. And this He declared many times, saying that He had not come on earth except to do the will of His Father: «Descendi de coelo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed voluntatem eius qui misit me» — "I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me" (John 6:38). And in this He willed that we should know 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» — "That the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do: arise, let us go hence" (John 14:31). Then He said that He acknowledged as His own only those who do the divine will: «Quicunque enim fecerit voluntatem Patris mei qui in coelis est, ipse meus frater, et soror, et mater est» — "For whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother" (Matt. 12:50). This, then, was the sole aim and desire of all the saints in all their works: the fulfillment of the divine will. Blessed Henry Suso used to say: «I would rather be the vilest worm on earth with the will of God than a Seraph with my own». And St. Teresa: «All that one who exercises himself in prayer must strive after is to conform his will to the divine will; and let him 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 greatest progress in the interior life». The blessed of heaven, therefore, love God perfectly because they are in all things made uniform with 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» — "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He who 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» — "I have found a man after my own heart, who shall do all my wills" (1 Sam. 13:14). And why? Because David was always prepared to carry out what God willed: «Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum» — "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready" (Ps. 56:8 and Ps. 107:2). And he sought nothing else of the Lord but that He teach him to do His will: «Doce me facere voluntatem tuam» — "Teach me to do Your will" (Ps. 142:10).
Oh how much an act of perfect resignation to the will of God is worth! 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?» — "Lord, what will You have me do?" (Acts 9:6). And behold, Jesus Christ at once declared him a vessel of election and apostle of the Gentiles: «Vas electionis est mihi iste, ut portet nomen meum coram gentibus» — "This man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles" (Acts 9:15). He who fasts, he who gives alms, he who mortifies himself for God, gives God a part of himself; but he who gives Him his will gives Him all. And this is that all which God asks of us: the heart, that is, the will: «Fili mi, praebe cor tuum mihi» — "My son, give me your heart" (Prov. 23). This, in short, must be the aim of all our desires, of our devotions, meditations, communions, etc.: the fulfilling of the divine will. This must be the goal of all our prayers: to obtain the grace to carry out what God wills of us. And for this we must ask the intercession of our holy advocates, and especially of the divine Mother, that they obtain for us light and strength to conform ourselves 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 used to say: «One "blessed be God" in adverse things is worth more than six thousand acts of thanksgiving in things delightful to us».
Affections and Prayers
Ah, my God, all my ruin in the past has come from my not willing to conform myself to Your holy will. I detest and a thousand times curse those days and those moments in which, to do my own will, I opposed Your will, O God of my soul. Now I give it wholly to You; receive it, O my Lord, and bind it so firmly to Your love that it can never again rebel against You. I love You, infinite Goodness, and for the love I bear You I offer myself entirely to You. Dispose of me and of all that is mine as You please, for in everything I resign myself to Your holy will. Deliver me from the misfortune of doing anything against Your will, and then deal with 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, divine Mother, help me; obtain for me this grace of fulfilling the divine will in me, in which my whole eternal salvation consists; and I ask nothing more of You.
Point II
We must conform ourselves not only to those adverse things that come to us directly from God, such as sicknesses, desolations of spirit, losses of property or of relatives; but also to those that likewise come from God, though indirectly, that is, through men, such as slanders, contempt, injustices, and every other kind of persecution. And let us note that when we are offended by someone in our property or in our honor, God does not will the sin of the one who offends us, but He does will our poverty and our humiliation. It is certain that whatever happens, all comes to pass by the divine will: «Ego Dominus formans lucem et tenebras, faciens pacem, et creans malum» — "I am the Lord, who form light and darkness, who make peace and create evil" (Isa. 45:7). And Ecclesiasticus had already said it: «Bona et mala, vita et mors a Deo sunt» — "Good and evil, life and death are from God" (Sir. 11:14). In short, all things come from God, the good as well as the evil.
They are called evils because we call them so, and we ourselves make them evils; for if we accepted them, as we ought, with resignation from the hands of God, they would become for us not evils but goods. The joys that make the crown of the saints richer are the tribulations accepted for God, in the thought that everything comes from His hands. When holy Job was told that the Sabeans had carried off his goods, what did he answer? «Dominus dedit, Dominus abstulit» — "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away" (Job 1:21). He did not say, "The Lord gave me these goods, and the Sabeans have taken them from me"; but, "The Lord gave them to me, and the Lord has taken them from me." And therefore he blessed Him, considering that all had happened by His will: «Sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est, sit nomen Domini benedictum» — "As it pleased the Lord, so it has been done; blessed be the name of the Lord" (ibid.). The holy martyrs Epictetus and Atho, when they were being tormented with iron hooks and burning torches, said nothing but this: "Lord, may Your will be done in us!" And as they died, these were the last words they spoke: "Blessed be You, O eternal God, for You grant us the grace of fulfilling Your holy pleasure in us." Caesarius relates (bk. 10, ch. 6) that a certain monk, although he did not lead a more austere life than the others, nevertheless worked many miracles. The abbot, marveling at this, one day asked him what devotions he practiced. He answered that he was more imperfect than the others, but that on this one thing he was wholly intent: on conforming himself in everything to the divine will. "And that damage," the superior went on, "which that enemy did to our farm some days ago — did you feel no displeasure at it?" "No, my father," he said; "on the contrary, I thanked the Lord for it, since He does or permits all things for our good." And from this the abbot recognized the holiness of this good religious.
We must do the same: when adverse things befall us, let us accept them all from the divine hands, not only with patience but with gladness, after the example of the apostles, who rejoiced to see themselves ill-treated for the love of Jesus Christ: «Ibant gaudentes a conspectu concilii, quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pati» — "They went away rejoicing from the presence of the council, because they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus" (Acts 5:41). And what greater contentment can there be than to suffer some cross and to know that in embracing it we give pleasure to God? If, then, we wish to live in continual peace, let us resolve from this day forward to embrace the divine will, always saying in all that happens to us: «Ita, Pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te» — "Yes, Father, for so it was pleasing before You" (Matt. 11:26). Lord, so it has pleased You; so let it be done. To this end we must direct all our meditations, Communions, visits, and prayers, always begging God to make us conformed 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, that He might dispose of her as He wished.
Affections and Prayers
Ah, my divine King, my beloved Redeemer, come, and from this day forward reign alone in my soul. Take all my will to Yourself, so that it may neither desire nor wish anything but what You wish, my Jesus. In the past I have so greatly displeased You by opposing Your holy will; this gives me greater pain than if I had suffered every other evil: I repent of it, and I grieve for it with all my heart. I deserve punishment; I do not refuse it, I accept it; only deliver me from the punishment of being deprived of Your love, and then do with me what You please. I love You, my dear Redeemer; I love You, my God; and because I love You, I wish to do all 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» — "In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep and I will rest." I will always say in all that befalls me: My God, as You have willed, so I will; my God, I want only what You want; may Your will always be done in me, «fiat voluntas tua» — "Your will be done." My Jesus, through Your merits grant me the grace always to repeat to You this beautiful word of love: «Fiat voluntas tua, fiat voluntas tua» — "Your will be done, Your will be done."
O Mary, my mother, blessed are You, who always and in everything fulfilled the divine will; obtain for me that from this day forward I too may fulfill it. My Queen, by the love You bear Jesus Christ, obtain for me this grace: from You I hope for it.
Point III
Whoever remains united to the divine will enjoys a perpetual peace even on this earth: «Non contristabit iustum, quidquid ei acciderit» — "Whatever befalls him shall not sadden the just man" (Prov. 12:21). Yes, because a soul can have no greater contentment than to see all that it wills fulfilled. Whoever wills nothing but what God wills has all that he wills, for whatever happens, all comes to pass by the will of God. Resigned souls, says Salvian, if they are humbled, will just that; if they suffer poverty, they wish to be poor; in short, they will all that happens, and therefore they lead a blessed life: «Humiles sunt, hoc volunt: pauperes sunt, paupertate delectantur; itaque beati dicendi sunt» — "They are humbled, and this they will; they are poor, and they delight in poverty; and so they must be called blessed." Cold comes, heat, rain, wind; and the one who is united to the will of God says: I will this cold, this heat, and so forth, because so God wills. A loss comes, a persecution, sickness comes, death comes; and he says: I will to be needy, persecuted, sick; I will even to die, because so God wills. Whoever rests in the divine will and delights in all that the Lord does is as though he dwelt above the clouds: he sees the storms raging beneath them, but he is neither harmed nor disturbed by them. This is that peace which, as St. Paul says, «exsuperat omnem sensum» — "surpasses all understanding" (Eph. 3:2), which exceeds all the delights of the world and is a stable peace that admits of no change: «Stultus sicut luna mutatur, sapiens in sapientia manet sicut sol» — "The fool changes like the moon; the wise man remains steadfast like the sun" (Sir. 27:12). The fool (that is, the sinner) changes like the moon, which waxes today and wanes tomorrow: today he is seen laughing, tomorrow weeping, today cheerful and wholly gentle, tomorrow afflicted and enraged; in short, he changes as the prosperous or adverse things that befall him change. But the just man is like the sun, always the same and unchanging in his tranquillity whatever happens; for his peace lies in conforming himself to the divine will. «Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis» — "And on earth peace to men of good will" (Luke 2:14). St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, on hearing the words "the will of God" spoken, felt so consoled that she went out of herself in an ecstasy of love. In the lower part of the soul some sting of adverse things will not fail to make itself felt, but in the higher part peace will always reign, when the will remains united to that of God. «Gaudium vestrum nemo tollet a vobis» — "No one shall take your joy from you" (John 16:22). But what folly is theirs who resist the will of God! What God wills must infallibly come to pass. «Voluntati eius quis resistit?» — "Who resists His will?" (Rom. 9:19). And so the wretched have to suffer the cross all the same, but without fruit and without peace. «Quis restitit ei, et pacem habuit?» — "Who has resisted Him and found peace?" (Job 9:4).
And what else does God want, if not our good? «Voluntas Dei sanctificatio vestra» — "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3). He wants to see us holy, so as to see us content in this life and blessed in the next. Let us understand that the crosses which come to us from God «omnia cooperantur in bonum» — "all work together for good" (Rom. 8:28). Even the chastisements in this life do not come for our ruin, but so that we may amend and obtain eternal beatitude. «Ad emendationem non ad perditionem nostram evenisse credamus» — "Let us believe that they have come for our amendment, not for our destruction" (Jdt. 8:27). God loves us so much that He not only desires, but is solicitous for, the eternal salvation of each one of us. «Deus sollicitus est mei» — "God is solicitous for me" (Ps. 39:18). And what will that Lord ever deny us, who has given us His very own Son? «Qui proprio Filio suo non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum, quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?» — "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how has He not also given us all things together with Him?" (Rom. 8:32). Let us therefore always abandon ourselves into the hands of that God who is always concerned for our good while we are in this life. «Omnem sollicitudinem vestram proiicientes in eum, quoniam ipsi cura est de vobis» — "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). You think of Me (said the Lord 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» — "My beloved thinks of my good, and I want to think of nothing but pleasing Him and uniting myself to His holy will" (Song 2:16). And we must not pray, said the holy Abbot Nilus, that God do what we want, but that we do what He wants.
Whoever always does this will live a blessed life and die a holy death. Whoever dies entirely resigned to the divine will leaves to others a moral certainty of his salvation. But whoever in life is not united to the divine will, will not be so even in death, and will not be saved. Let us therefore make familiar to ourselves certain sayings of Scripture, with which we shall keep ourselves always united to the will of God. «Domine, quid me vis facere?» — "Lord, tell me what You want of me, for I want 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, O Lord, and then do with me what You please; I am Yours, I am no longer my own." When some heavier adversity befalls us, let us say at once: «Ita, Pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te» — "My God, so it has pleased You, so be it done" (Matt. 11:26). Above all, may the third petition of the Our Father be dear to us: «Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra» — "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Let us say it often with affection and repeat it many times. Happy are we if we live and end our life saying thus: «Fiat, fiat voluntas tua!» — "Your will be done, Your will be done!"
Affections and Prayers
O my Jesus, my Redeemer, You consumed Your life on the cross through sheer suffering, to make Yourself the cause of my eternal salvation. Have pity on me, then, and save me; and do not permit a soul redeemed by You with so much pain and so much love to have to hate You eternally in hell. You have nothing more to do to oblige me to love You. This You wished to make me understand when, before expiring on Calvary, You uttered those loving words: «Consummatum est» — "It is finished." But how have I since repaid Your love? For the past I can truly say that I did all I could to displease You and oblige You to hate me. I thank You that You have borne with me with such patience, and now You give me time to remedy my ingratitude and to love You before I die. Yes, I want to love You, and I want to love You greatly, my Savior, my God, my love and my all; and I want to do all that pleases You; I give You all my will, all my liberty, and all that is mine. From this moment I sacrifice to You even my life, accepting that death which You will send me, with all the pains and circumstances that will accompany it. From this moment I unite this sacrifice of mine to the great sacrifice that You, my Jesus, made of Your life for me on the cross. I want to die in order to do Your will. Ah, by the merits of Your passion, give me the grace of God to remain in life always resigned to Your dispositions; and when death comes, grant that I may embrace it with total conformity to Your holy good pleasure. I want to die saying: «Fiat voluntas tua» — "Your will be done."
Mary, my Mother, so did You die; obtain for me that I too may die in the same way.