Be Stouthearted and Wait

     “When uncertain about God’s will, it is very important that we tell ourselves: Even if there are aspects of God’s will that escape me, there are always others that I know for sure and can invest in without any risk, knowing that this investment always pays dividends: these certainties include fulfilling the duties of our state in life and practicing the essential points of every Christian vocation. There is a defect here that needs to be recognized and avoided: finding ourselves in darkness about God’s will on an important question . . . we spend so much time searching and doubting or getting discouraged, that we neglect things that are God’s will for us every day, like being faithful to prayer, maintaining trust in God, loving people around us here and now. Lacking the answers about the future, we should prepare to receive them by living today to the full.” Fr. Jacques Phillipe


     There are times in our lives when we flounder. We believe that God is calling us to do something: sometimes a very specific task, while other times something totally unknown to us. We begin to doubt and become impatient and restless because the opportunity has not yet presented itself, or our questions appear unanswered. We make the judgment that it should have happened within a certain amount of time, and when it hasn’t, we question both ourselves and God. “Was this just my imagination, or was it really You God?”

Seeking holiness

     We so often act as though holiness is something very complicated and out of our reach – like there’s a ‘hidden formula’ to follow – and so we spend our time searching for it, in the hope that when it’s found – just maybe we’ll get it right -- and then we’ll be holy!

     Our good God did not make our sanctification an impossible feat – but placed His Holy Spirit within our souls to direct our every thought, word, and deed . . . but we must be attentive to His voice and then surrender to His promptings, so He may form Jesus in us.