Surrendering ourselves to God in the present moment is the most sure and solid way to sanctity that exists. It has been the secret of the saints in every age. It is the way where God, Himself, directs our souls and leads us on the path to union with Him…to heaven. There isn’t anything tricky or necessarily hard about it because God does all of the work Himself. We ARE the work of His hands. Books and books have been written on abandoning ourselves to God in the present moment…books written by saints that tell us everything we could ever hope to know on this subject, and how easy it is to become a saint ourselves if we only do the simplest of things and say “Yes” to God in every present moment that He arranges so lovingly for us.
So why do we say “No” all the time? For, indeed, that is what we are saying the moment we complain about anything in our lives. Every moment contains an unrepeatable grace from God and it would seem that so many of these beautiful gifts that the Lord wants to shower upon us go unwanted. We think of them as inconveniences or disappointments or struggles when in fact they are treasures that bring us closer to God…and not just closer, but actually unite us with Him. That God wants His creatures to be one in love with Him is so incredible and so mind-blowing that I shall never understand it; the only thing I can do is to be grateful for HIS goodness and offer my love in return. Truly, my hope lies in Him alone.
Recently, I had to miss the wedding of a young couple who are very dear to me. I was fortunate to have some time off work and was going to spend it making a mini-retreat and then go out of town and attend the wedding. God had other plans for me, though, as He allowed me to fall sick. My health is not good to begin with so when I catch any little virus, I seem to be doubly sick and doing anything at all becomes difficult. How I wish I could say that I surrendered to God immediately and gave up all of my plans of extra prayer and Mass and going to the wedding with great joy, but alas, I had to first struggle with disappointment…the disappointment of missing the wedding, of missing spiritual reading, of missing Mass and of missing Jesus, Himself, sacramentally, in Holy Communion. I had to struggle with the disappointment of having a sick body that was filled with aches and pains and the worry about when I’d be able to go to work again. It seems so often to be the case that we have our own ideas of what God wills for us and how we should achieve it and yet, the truth of it is, God makes Himself quite clear in the present moment. On our own we can’t help resisting God’s will (due mostly to our weak, fallen natures) and struggling against the very good gifts that will unite us with Him and make us holy, but thank God we are not on our own! God’s grace is sufficient for us and He has sent the Holy Spirit to encourage and teach us…even to teach us how to surrender in the present moment and say YES with hearts full of love. The Holy Spirit also teaches us that we live supernatural lives and there is meaning in everything…especially in the Holy Cross! Our bodies may sometimes be confined and full of weakness, but our spirits can fly into the realms of heaven and ask for blessings upon those we love and favors for those who need the graces of God. The Communion of Saints is such a beautiful tenet of our faith. We are all much closer to each other then we even realize. God is so glorious!
And if we haven’t always said YES to God in the present moment or if it has taken us a little time to do so, we should never be discouraged…the son in the gospel said no at first, but then he went and did his father’s will. God is patient. He will also teach us patience, and a good many other things, as He gently leads us in the ways of His love. May He continue to arrange every detail of our lives and finish His work in us so that we can be one with Him…both now and forever.
Forgive me, Lord, for thinking too much of myself and not enough about your love. How weak I am! It is such a grace to know it and to know that when I am weak and helpless that you are carrying me in your arms. I love you. I have the greatest desire to do your will with perfect love as you did your Father’s will and yet I see that my love is not perfect. I see that I love all of the consolations that you give me and when they are not constant, I am almost like a lost puppy wandering around in the snow. It is only with the eyes of faith that I know you are with me and loving me…only by the deep peace and joy in the depths of my soul that I know you are present. Forgive me for not surrendering to your will for me in the present moment….for all of the moments I resist your grace and your love. Please fill me with the grace to love you for yourself alone because you are worthy of all love. You seem to have shaken up my world lately and taken away all of the supports I rely on…especially your sacramental presence. I was full of fear and then you showed me clearly your will and helped me to embrace it…what a gift it was and is! You have not left me alone, but are showing me that you are purifying me…and making the foundation of my soul out of the solid rock of your love…your truth, goodness, and your beauty. Oh, Jesus, I want you with all that I possess! I want to be your delight and your consolation and the joy of the Father. Help me in every single moment. Help me in THIS moment, for in this moment I say YES! To everything! I adore you, Jesus. Bless us all with your love and your grace. Amen.
Recommended Reading:
- Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.
- Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, S.J. and Saint Claude de la Colombiere, S.J.
