Thought for the Day – 5 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
CONSIDERATION XXXIV
The Final
Conformity to the Will of God
“In His pleasure, is life.”
(Ps xxx: 5)
FIRST POINT:
ALL our salvation and all our perfection, consist in loving God. “He who loveth not . . . . abideth in death.” (i John iii: 14).
“Charity … is the bond of perfection.” (Col iii: 14).
But the perfection of love consists, then, in the uniformity of our will with the Divine Will. Since this is the chief effect of love, according to St Dionysius, to unite the wills of those who love, so that they have but one heart and one will.
So, therefore, our repentances, our communions, our alms-deeds, please God in proportion as they correspond with the Divine Will, since otherwise, they are not virtues but defects and worthy of correction.
It was principally to teach us this truth by His example, our Blessed Lord came down from Heaven. Mark what He said on coming into the world, as the Apostle writes: “Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not but a Body hast thou prepared Me. . . . Then said I, Lo, I come to do Thy Will, O God.” (Heb x:5- 7).
… And this He expressed frequently, saying: “I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine Own Will but the Will of Him Who sent Me.” (John vi: 38). And by this He desires that we should know His great Love for His Father, when we see that He died in obedience to His Father’s Will. “But that the world may know that I love the Father and, as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.” ( John xiv: 31). He says later, He acknowledges for His own, those alone, who do the Divine Will. “Whosoever shall do the Will of My Father Who is in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matt xii: 50).
This, then, is the one scope and desire of all the Saints in all their works – the fulfilment of the Divine Will.
Henry Suso said: “I would much rather be the vilest worm on earth, according to the Will of God, than a Seraph according to my own.”
St Teresa wrote, “All that he ought to try to procure, who exercises himself in prayer, is to conform his own to the -Divine Will and he may be assured, in this conformity the highest perfection consists; he who most aims at such conformity,, will receive from God the choicest gift and will make most progress in the spiritual life.”
The blessed in Heaven, love God perfectly by their entire conformity to the Divine Will. Hence, it was that our Blessed Lord taught us to pray: “Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” (Mat vi: 10).
He who performs the Divine Will, becomes a man after the Lord’s “own heart,” just as the Lord called David: “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine Own Heart, who shall fulfil all My Will.” (Acts xiii: 22).
And why? Because David was always prepared to follow the Divine Will “O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready.” (Ps cviii: i). And, He desired nothing further of the Lord. than that he might be taught to do His Will,
“Teach me to do the things which pleaseth Thee.” (Ps cxliii: 10.).
Oh, of what great value is the act of perfect resignation to the Will of God! It is sufficient in itself to make a Saint! Whilst St Paul was persecuting the Church, our Blessed Lord appeared to him, enlightened him and converted him; the Saint immediately desired to do the Divine Will: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?” (Acts ix: 6)
And then our Lord said- at once: “He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles” (Acts ix: 15).
He who fasts, gives alms, mortifies himself for God, gives Him a part of himself but he, who gives God Conformity to His Will, gives Him his entire self and this, is that whole, which God demands of us – the heart, that is, the will!
To fulfil the Divine Will, in short, is the aim of all our desires, devotions, meditations, communions – it expresses the scope of all our prayers, the seeking for grace, so that we may follow all which God would have us do – the asking for light and strength, to conform ourselves in all things to His Wil, but especially, in the embracing of those things which are opposed to our self-love, as Venerable Avila said, a single
“Blessed be God,” for things contrary to ourselves, was of more avail than an infinity of thanksgiving, for such things which please us!
Affections andPrayers
Oh, my God! my entire ruin in time past has been through my being unwilling to conform myself to Thy holy Will.
I now hate and abjure many times, those days and moments in which, by doing my own will, I have opposed Thine!
O God of my soul.
Now I give it all to Thee ; receive it, O my Lord and bind it so closely to Thine Love that it may never be able again to rebel against Thee.
I love Thee, Infinite Goodness and for the love I bear Thee, I offer myself wholly to Thee. Dispose of me and of all I am, as it may please Thee, so that I,in all things, may resign myself to Thy holy Will. Free me from the disgrace of having done that which was contrary to Thine Will and then, do with me as Thou wilt.
Eternal Father, hear me, for the love of Jesus Christ.
My Jesus, hear me, through the merits of Thy Passion.
AnaStpaul 
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