WE all know that life has more to
offer than what we can
manage. There are surprises both of the pleasant and welcome ones as
well as the terribly unwelcome ones. There are heavy pressures and
insoluble predicaments. We have to be ready for these eventualities,
though we also know we cannot be truly ready enough.
We have to learn to live with this fact of life and
strengthen our conviction, based on our Christian faith, that there’s
such thing as divine providence. God always governs all of his
creation, and in his own mysterious ways directs all things to
himself. If this is part of our bedrock belief, then we would be open,
ready and game with anything in life.
A great part of his providence is beyond our
understanding. What we know is that it is at once all-wise,
all-powerful, all-just and all-merciful. If we would just be open to
this truth about his providence, I suppose we would be ok even if
along the way we commit all sorts of mistakes and even sins.
God knows what to do with our blunders. And if they
happen, it’s because at least God knows how to draw good from them.
Everything somehow happens for a purpose in the ever dynamic
providence of God.
As St. Paul would put, “To them that love God, all things
work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are
called to be saints.” (Rom 8,28) These words of St. Paul should be the
very kernel of the attitude we ought to have toward anything that can
happen in life.
Of course, such divine providence does not take away our
freedom which we can use unfortunately to go against his will and
ways. In spite of the infinite wisdom and mercy of God in his
providence, we can still manage to go against it.
Thus, Christ talked about a sin that cannot be
forgiven—the sin against the Holy Spirit, when we “we speak against
the Holy Spirit.” (cfr Mt 12,32). The Holy Spirit is the God who is
sent to us to sanctify us. He is actually always around prompting us
what to think, choose, say and do.
We have to remember that God completely gives himself to
us. He is not sparing in this. He is now with us in the Holy Spirit.
In a sense, he is all there for the taking. It’s really just up to now
how to take advantage of this reality.
Thus, we are told that the proper attitude we ought to
have toward the Holy Spirit is that of docility. But for this to take
place, we also have to do our part. We need to learn to pray, to live
always in the presence of God, to develop the virtues, to learn the
doctrine of our faith so that we would know how to deal with the Holy
Spirit, to avail of the sacraments, etc.
It also helps that humanly speaking, we develop a good
sense of humor, and a practical sense of how to defuse the pressures,
like indulging in some healthy hobbies and sports, or doing some
physical exercises that can lighten the mind and spirit.
In the end, when things are just beyond us to cope, we
have to learn how to live abandonment in the hands of God who knows
what to do with all of our predicaments. In this, it might be good to
meditate on that scene of the agony of Christ in the garden of
Gethsemane.
There he prays most earnestly to his Father, and begs him
to let “this cup pass by me.” He already has done a lot to accomplish
his mission of saving us. Still there is one more thing yet to be
done.
Later on, he kind of rectified himself: “But not my will
but yours be done.” And with that, he proceeded to face his arrest,
passion, crucifixion and death. He gave himself completely to the
cruelty of men and offered his life, only to resurrect on the third
day.
We have to see in this scene the template of how we are to
behave when faced with insoluble predicaments. We should not be afraid
of the cross in whatever form it takes. When we have done everything
that we could and still the predicaments remain, we just have to face
and embrace it the way Christ did.
It’s in that spirit that we can expect to rise also
together with Christ. We can actually have as many resurrections as
death-causing problems in our life!
manage. There are surprises both of the pleasant and welcome ones as
well as the terribly unwelcome ones. There are heavy pressures and
insoluble predicaments. We have to be ready for these eventualities,
though we also know we cannot be truly ready enough.
We have to learn to live with this fact of life and
strengthen our conviction, based on our Christian faith, that there’s
such thing as divine providence. God always governs all of his
creation, and in his own mysterious ways directs all things to
himself. If this is part of our bedrock belief, then we would be open,
ready and game with anything in life.
A great part of his providence is beyond our
understanding. What we know is that it is at once all-wise,
all-powerful, all-just and all-merciful. If we would just be open to
this truth about his providence, I suppose we would be ok even if
along the way we commit all sorts of mistakes and even sins.
God knows what to do with our blunders. And if they
happen, it’s because at least God knows how to draw good from them.
Everything somehow happens for a purpose in the ever dynamic
providence of God.
As St. Paul would put, “To them that love God, all things
work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are
called to be saints.” (Rom 8,28) These words of St. Paul should be the
very kernel of the attitude we ought to have toward anything that can
happen in life.
Of course, such divine providence does not take away our
freedom which we can use unfortunately to go against his will and
ways. In spite of the infinite wisdom and mercy of God in his
providence, we can still manage to go against it.
Thus, Christ talked about a sin that cannot be
forgiven—the sin against the Holy Spirit, when we “we speak against
the Holy Spirit.” (cfr Mt 12,32). The Holy Spirit is the God who is
sent to us to sanctify us. He is actually always around prompting us
what to think, choose, say and do.
We have to remember that God completely gives himself to
us. He is not sparing in this. He is now with us in the Holy Spirit.
In a sense, he is all there for the taking. It’s really just up to now
how to take advantage of this reality.
Thus, we are told that the proper attitude we ought to
have toward the Holy Spirit is that of docility. But for this to take
place, we also have to do our part. We need to learn to pray, to live
always in the presence of God, to develop the virtues, to learn the
doctrine of our faith so that we would know how to deal with the Holy
Spirit, to avail of the sacraments, etc.
It also helps that humanly speaking, we develop a good
sense of humor, and a practical sense of how to defuse the pressures,
like indulging in some healthy hobbies and sports, or doing some
physical exercises that can lighten the mind and spirit.
In the end, when things are just beyond us to cope, we
have to learn how to live abandonment in the hands of God who knows
what to do with all of our predicaments. In this, it might be good to
meditate on that scene of the agony of Christ in the garden of
Gethsemane.
There he prays most earnestly to his Father, and begs him
to let “this cup pass by me.” He already has done a lot to accomplish
his mission of saving us. Still there is one more thing yet to be
done.
Later on, he kind of rectified himself: “But not my will
but yours be done.” And with that, he proceeded to face his arrest,
passion, crucifixion and death. He gave himself completely to the
cruelty of men and offered his life, only to resurrect on the third
day.
We have to see in this scene the template of how we are to
behave when faced with insoluble predicaments. We should not be afraid
of the cross in whatever form it takes. When we have done everything
that we could and still the predicaments remain, we just have to face
and embrace it the way Christ did.
It’s in that spirit that we can expect to rise also
together with Christ. We can actually have as many resurrections as
death-causing problems in our life!
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