Let us now take up in a practical way the consideration of those matters in which we should
unite ourselves to God’s will.
1. In external matters. In times of great heat, cold or rain; in times of famine, epidemics
and similar occasions we should refrain from expressions like these: “What unbearable heat!”
“What piercing cold!” “What a tragedy!” In these instances we should avoid expressions indicating
opposition to God’s will. We should want things to be just as they are, because it is God who thus
disposes them. An incident in point would be this one: Late one night St. Francis Borgia arrived
unexpectedly at a Jesuit house, in a snowstorm. He knocked and knocked on the door, but all to no
purpose because the community being asleep, no one heard him. When morning came all were
embarrassed for the discomfort he had experienced by having had to spend the night in the open.
The saint, however, said he had enjoyed the greatest consolation during those long hours of the
night by imagining that he saw our Lord up in the sky dropping the snowflakes down upon him.
2. In personal matters. In matters that affect us personally, let us acquiesce in God’s will.
For example, in hunger, thirst, poverty, desolation, loss of reputation, let us always say: “Do thou
build up or tear down, O Lord, as seems good in thy sight. I am content. I wish only what thou dost
wish.” Thus too, says Rodriguez, should we act when the devil proposes certain hypothetical cases
to us in order to wrest a sinful consent from us, or at least to cause us to be interiorly disturbed. For
example: “What would you say or what would you do if some one were to say or do such and such
a thing to you?” Let us dismiss the temptation by saying: “By God’s grace, I would say or do what
God would want me to say or do.” Thus we shall free ourselves from imperfection and harassment.
3. Let us not lament if we suffer from some natural defect of body or mind; from poor
memory, slowness of understanding, little ability, lameness or general bad health. What claim have
we, or what obligation is God under, to give us a more brilliant mind or a more robust body? Who
is ever offered a gift and then lays down the conditions upon which he will accept it? Let us thank
God for what, in his pure goodness, he has given us and let us be content too with the manner in
which he has given it to us.
Who knows? Perhaps if God had given us greater talent, better health, a more personable
appearance, we might have lost our souls! Great talent and knowledge have caused many to be
puffed up with the idea of their own importance and, in their pride, they have despised others. How
easily those who have these gifts fall into grave danger to their salvation! How many on account
of physical beauty or robust health have plunged headlong into a life of debauchery! How many,
on the contrary, who, by reason of poverty, infirmity or physical deformity, have become saints
and have saved their souls, who, given health, wealth or physical attractiveness had else lost their
souls! Let us then be content with what God has given us. “But one thing is necessary62,” and it is
not beauty, not health, not talent. It is the salvation of our immortal souls.
4. It is especially necessary that we be resigned in corporal infirmities. We should willingly
embrace them in the manner and for the length of time that God wills. We ought to make use ofthe ordinary remedies in time of sickness— such is God’s will; but if they are not effective, let us
unite ourselves to God’s will and this will be better for us than would be our restoration to health.
Let us say: “Lord, I wish neither to be well nor to remain sick; I want only what thou wilt.” Certainly,
it is more virtuous not to repine in times of painful illness; still and all, when our sufferings are
excessive, it is not wrong to let our friends know what we are enduring, and also to ask God to free
us from our sufferings. Let it be understood, however, that the sufferings here referred to are actually
excessive. It often happens that some, on the occasion of a slight illness, or even a slight
indisposition, want the whole world to stand still and sympathize with them in their illnesses.
But where it is a case of real suffering, we have the example of our Lord, who, at the
approach of his bitter passion, made known his state of soul to his disciples, saying: “My soul is
sorrowful even unto death63” and besought his eternal Father to deliver him from it: “Father, if it
be possible, let this chalice pass from me64.” But our Lord likewise taught us what we should do
when we have made such a petition, when he added: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt65.”
How childish the pretense of those who protest they wish for health not to escape suffering,
but to serve our Lord better by being able to observe their Rule, to serve the community, go to
church, receive Communion, do penance, study, work for souls in the confessional and pulpit!
Devout soul, tell me, why do you desire to do these things? To please God? Why then search any
further to please God when you are sure God does not wish these prayers, Communions, penances
or studies, but he does wish that you suffer patiently this sickness he sends you? Unite then your
sufferings to those of our Lord.
“But,” you say, “I do not want to be sick for then I am useless, a burden to my Order, to
my monastery.” But if you are united to and resigned to God’s will, you will realize that your
superiors are likewise resigned to the dispositions of divine providence, and that they recognize
the fact that you are a burden, not through indolence, but by the will of God. Ah, how often these
desires and these laments are born, not of the love of God, but of the love of self! How many of
them are so many pretexts for fleeing the will of God! Do we want to please God? When we find
ourselves confined to our sickbed, let us utter this one prayer: “Thy will be done.” Let us repeat it
time and time again and it will please God more than all our mortifications and devotions. There
is no better way to serve God than cheerfully to embrace his holy will.
St. John of Avila once wrote to a sick priest: “My dear friend,—Do not weary yourself
planning what you would do if you were well, but be content to be sick for as long as God wishes.
If you are seeking to carry out God’s will, what difference should it make to you whether you are
sick or well66?” The saint was perfectly right, for God is glorified not by our works, but by our
resignation to, and by our union with, his holy will. In this respect St. Francis de Sales used to say
we serve God better by our sufferings than by our actions.
Many times it will happen that proper medical attention or effective remedies will be lacking,
or even that the doctor will not rightly diagnose our case. In such instances we must unite ourselves
to the divine will which thus disposes of our physical health. The story is told of a client of St.
Thomas of Canterbury, who being sick, went to the saint’s tomb to obtain a cure. He returned homecured. But then he thought to himself: “Suppose it would be better for my soul’s salvation if I
remained sick, what point then is there in being well?” In this frame of mind he went back and
asked the saint to intercede with God that he grant what would be best for his eternal salvation. His
illness returned and he was perfectly content with the turn things had taken, being fully persuaded
that God had thus disposed of him for his own good.
There is a similar account by Surio to the effect that a certain blind man obtained the
restoration of his sight by praying to St. Bedasto, bishop. Thinking the matter over, he prayed again
to his heavenly patron, but this time with the purpose that if the possession of his sight were not
expedient for his soul, that his blindness should return. And that is exactly what happened—he was
blind again. Therefore, in sickness it is better that we seek neither sickness nor health, but that we
abandon ourselves to the will of God so that he may dispose of us as he wishes. However, if we
decide to ask for health, let us do so at least always resigned and with the proviso that our bodily
health may be conducive to the health of our soul. Otherwise our prayer will be defective and will
remain unheard because our Lord does not answer prayers made without resignation to his holy
will.
Sickness is the acid test of spirituality, because it discloses whether our virtue is real or
sham. If the soul is not agitated, does not break out in lamentations, is not feverishly restless in
seeking a cure, but instead is submissive to the doctors and to superiors, is serene and tranquil,
completely resigned to God’s will, it is a sign that that soul is well-grounded in virtue.
What of the whiner who complains of lack of attention? That his sufferings are beyond
endurance? That the doctor does not know his business? What of the faint-hearted soul who laments
that the hand of God is too heavy upon him?
This story by St. Bonaventure in his “Life of St. Francis” is in point: On a certain occasion
when the saint was suffering extraordinary physical pain, one of his religious meaning to sympathize
with him, said in his simplicity: “My Father, pray God that he treat you a little more gently, for his
hand seems heavy upon you just now.” Hearing this, St. Francis strongly resented the unhappy
remark of his well-meaning brother, saying: “My good brother, did I not know that what you have
just said was spoken in all simplicity, without realizing the implication of your words, I should
never see you again because of your rashness in passing judgment on the dispositions of divine
providence.” Whereupon, weak and wasted as he was by his illness, he got out of bed, knelt down,
kissed the floor and prayed thus: “Lord, I thank thee for the sufferings thou art sending me. Send
me more, if it be thy good pleasure. My pleasure is that you afflict me and spare me not, for the
fulfillment of thy holy will is the greatest consolation of my life.”
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