St. Therese of Lisieux
We must keep ourselves detached from all we feel or do if we
are to travel along his path and live only for God and the duties of
the present moment. We must stop all imaginings about the future, keep
our attention on what is happening now and not bother about anything
that has gone before or what may follow. I imagine that God's will
always governs you. You will then have some inner prompting which makes
you say: "I feel drawn toward this person or this book; I would like to
give another person some advice or ask for some myself; I wish to
complain about something, to open my heart to someone and in turn
receive confidence, to give something away or to perform a certain
action." We should at once obey these promptings of grace without
relying on our reason or considering the matter at all. We must give
ourselves to whatever God wishes and for as long as he wishes and yet
never get personally involved in them. In this condition of
self-abandonment the will of God moves us because he dwells within us,
and it should completely replace everything on which we usually rely for
strength and support...
All
we can say can be reduced to this: "I feel drawn to write, to read, to
question and examine. I obey this feeling, and God, who is responsible
for it, thus builds up within me a kind of spiritual store which, in the
future, will develop into a core of usefulness for myself and for
others." This is what make it essential for us to be simple-hearted,
gentle, compliant and sensitive to the slightest breath of these
imperceptible promptings.
If
we have abandoned ourselves, there is only one rule for us: the duty of
the present moment. The soul is as light as a feather, as fluid as
water, simple as a child and as lively as a ball in responding to the
impulses of grace. We are like molten metal which takes the shape of the mold
into which it is poured, and can just as easily assume any for God
wishes to give us. We are like the air which stirs continually, or water
which fills every vessel no matter what its shape.
We
must offer ourselves to God like a clean, smooth canvas and not worry
ourselves abut what God may choose to paint on it, for we have perfect
trust in him, have abandoned ourselves to him, and are so busy doing our
duty that we forget ourselves and all our needs. The more closely we
devote ourselves to our little task, which is so simple, so secret and
so hidden and apparently so paltry, the more does God enrich and adorn
it: "God works wonders for those he loves" (Psalm 4: 3).
It
is true that a canvas simply and blindly offered to the brush feels at
teach moment only the stroke of the brush... We might ask it: "What do
you think is happening to you?" And it might answer: "Don't ask me. All I
know is that I must stay immovable in the hands of the [artist], and I
must love him and endure all... to produce the [art] he has in mind. He
knows how to do it. As for me, I have no idea what he is doing, nor do I
know what he will make of me. But what I do know is that his work is
the best possible. It is perfect. I welcome [it] as the best thing that
could happen to me... I concentrate on the present moment, think only of
my duty..."
Yes... leave to
God what is his business and carry on peacefully with your work. Be
quite sure that whatever happens to your spiritual life or to your
activities in the world is always for the best. Let God act, and abandon
yourself to him. Let the... brush do [its] work even though the brush
covers the canvas with so many colors that, instead of a picture, it
seems there is only a daub. Let us work together with the will of God by
a steady and simple submission, a complete forgetfulness of self and
concentration on our duties.
Let
us go straight ahead. Never mind the lack of a map, ignore the lie of
the land and take no notice of the places you pass through. Keep going
and you will attain all you desire. Everything will be given you if,
with love and obedience, you seek God's kingdom and his righteousness.
There are many people who are uneasy and ask: "Who will guide us toward
that mortification of self which will lead us to perfect happiness?"
[...]
Let us stay united with
God by love and let us walk blindly along the clear straight path of
duty. His angels protect you, and if he wants more from you he will let
you know.
-----Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751), a Jesuit priest and mystic. This quote is taken from
Abandonment to Divine Providence published posthumously.
