St. Alphonsus Ligouri is a major teacher, a doctor of the Catholic faith. Mr. Burke does extremely well in explaining how we live in “uniformity with God’s will”, and how this will enable our “finding peace in the storm” of our lives. St. Alphonsus’ 1760 letter is most appropriate to reflect on in these times.
These are just a few of the words and commentaries which struck me:
St. Alphonsus: Perfection is
founded entirely on the love of God: Charity is the bond of perfection; and
perfect love of God means the complete union of our will with God’s: “The
principal effect of love is so to unite the wills of those who love each other
as to make them will the same things.
Dan Burke: Said another way, when we
love others deeply, we become more like them.
SA: … fully persuaded that God does all things,
or permits all things, for His Glory and for our greater good; thus, I am
always at peace, no matter what happens.
DB: When we rail, criticize, and
obsess over the work of our “enemies,” or the enemies of all that is good and
true in the Church, we can find ourselves in the very dangerous position of
railing at something that God has allowed --- and thus at God Himself. Instead, we should ask ourselves, “What is
the Almighty doing here? How can I join
Him? How can I be part of the solution
to the difficulties at hand?
SA: In matters that affect us personally, let us
deliberately embrace God’s will. … Build
up or tear down. O Lord, as seems good in your sight. I am content.
I wish only what You desire.
DB: The devil tries to draw us into
the past to hold us bondage to our shame or into the future to be fearful of
possible outcomes. Thus, temptations to
dwell in the past or in the future should always be resisted.
SA: 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!
MY COMMENT: Those are my
words!!! I’ve often said that being born
beautiful, rich, or wise is both a blessing and a curse, for just the reasons
St. Alphonsus noted.
SA: If souls resigned to God’s will are
humiliated, they want to be humiliated; if they are poor, they want to be poor;
in short, whatever happens is acceptable to them; hence, they are truly at
peace in this life. …. This is the
abiding peace that, in the experience of the saints, surpasses all
understanding,
DB: Here St. Alphonsus references a
truly outstanding passage from St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. … Have no anxiety about anything. … And the peace of God, which passes all
understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:4-7)
The most astonishing aspect of this passage is that it was written while
Paul was in prison!
In the last few pages of this book, Mr. Burke describes some
of the ministries he has founded to help people in their spiritual growth, of
which I am a member and support. I liked
his closing words where he gives a simple way to review your day before you go
to bed. “Fly slowly over your day and
ask two simple questions: (1) What have I been able to do, by the grace of God,
that honors Him and others? … and
express praise and thanksgiving to God.
(2) How have I failed to honor God and others? Then pray in thanksgiving: ‘Thank you, Lord,
for revealing my sin to me so that I can be forgiven and strengthened to
overcome this sin in the future.’ … (this
daily reflection) ke
eps you awake to your progress on the narrow way to heaven,
and it helps ensure you stay on the path.
It also perfects your trust in God, and deepens your understanding of
yourself as a beloved child, dependent on His help and mercy for every good in
your life.
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In a somewhat related matter, the men’s group watched a video talk by Fr. Mike Schmitz, one he gave in Washington two years ago at the March for Life. In that talk, Fr. Mike mentioned two critical things. First, he said all life is a gift, something I’ve come to understand and speak of often. We cannot “make” human life happen, we can only set the stage for God’s gift, but it is He who chooses to give it or not, whether to the long-married couple, the casual “I did it because it feels good” people, or the rape victim. He chooses to make the gift of life, for His reasons, at His times. Regardless of when we were chosen to be gifts to our parents, we should give thanks.
The second point Fr. Mike made hit me personally. Human life, a person, this gift, starts at conception. At that point there is a baby, there is a mother, and she will remain a mother all her life --- and therefore, as will the father always remain a father of this conceived child. Both received the gift of life from God. I’ve rarely thought of the child conceived by my wife, and then miscarried. I treated it as an event that happened, “oh well, …”. A gift from God that I ignored. A gift I never said thanks for. A child I rarely prayed for.
All life is a gift from God. It is not something we choose. It is not something we should ever abort, or ignore, or forget. Seeing life as a gift really is seeing it in “Uniformity with God’s Will.” Seeing it as so, will give us “Peace in the Storm”.
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