Loving God in All Things By: C.C.

“Good when He gives, supremely good; Nor less when He denies: Afflictions, from His sovereign hand, Are blessings in disguise. (Brother Lawrence)

How easy one may find their journey of faith when they are in a time of consolation. The degree to which we love and trust in the Lord is most revealed during our times of affliction. The way we handle the grace of consolation is usually one of joy and thanksgiving. Often in our time of affliction we can become rather sour faced toward our Lord. 

   Love is not dependent upon merit. It is not a matter of feeling or of physical sensation. It is a commitment and decision made. It is a call for each of us. To love God is to embrace what He gives and what he permits to happen to us with love. These moments of affliction along the journey allow us to build virtue. They allow for us to recognize our need for growth, for purification, for more love, and ultimately show us how much more we need God. 

   Our Lord did not promise us a flight from the human reality of life, He offers us a profound way of living within it. The choice is ours. Through the gift of faith we are given a supernatural gift to embrace the physical tangible reality of this world. Much of what we face is seemingly unbearable and often confusing to understand. The strength to carry our burdens, to accept what we may not understand, and to embrace all things comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This first requires love, faith, and prayer. As we spend time in prayer with our Lord and reflect on the lives of our Saints we quickly come to realize that the path toward holiness was not a leisure filled Sunday afternoon, but a journey filled with unimaginable tribulation. Who on earth in their right mind would sign up for that??? Those who realize that He who assigned them to this world to begin with has a plan for them that exceeds all understanding and promises joy beyond measure!

  The ability to endure what comes to us is given to the extent that we trust in God's love and His plan for our lives. As Brother Lawrence reminds us, everything God gives is good because it comes from His sovereign hand. May we recognize this throughout our lives in all of our dealings as to better serve our Lord in faith, trust, and love.(C.C)

"Everything is Grace" St. Therese of Lisieux