Jan 4 Sat
Should I struggle to fulfill God's will, even without enthusiasm?
The Magi went to Bethlehem not as tourists but because they knew God wanted them to go.
We need to keep advancing in our life of service to God, even though we may not experience any consolation. It doesn't matter whether there are feelings or not; what matters is having our head –and our heart– fixed on the path that leads to God.
“If God gives us pleasant feelings, we are grateful because they make it easier for us to fulfill his will, to keep his commandments and counsels. At times God treats souls in the same way as we treat little children."
“Babies are fed on their mother's milk or on baby food, or nice soft things to eat like cake or bread... We never cease to be children, but we are also older and we have strong teeth. So, God can give us solid food which is for the mature, for those who by practice, have their faculties trained to discern good and evil."
“Thus, we should not do things out of feelings. If they come, then say: ‘Thank you, my God, for giving me this sense of devotion that makes it easier for me to fulfill my duty!’ But when there are no feelings, you should still say: ‘Thank you, Lord, because I know that I can count on your help to act in a way that pleases you’."
Is it good to want feelings? It isn't bad to want them. But it is more perfect not to ask for feelings. If God gives them, be grateful. But if they don't come, then don't ask for them. It's just as good to have them as not to have them, so long as we seek God's will in everything.
“Speaking about feelings… we run the risk of looking only for doubtful devotions which are not very Christian, since they're not based on the Cross, and which could lead us astray. Religion and Christian life are not matters of sentiment. God can give us great joy, great fervor, and great enthusiasm, just as he can send us terrible dryness, to renew our mind, to find what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
“Love awaits us in heaven, then we will be seeing things in their true light. We should learn how to capture and retain all these graces from God, like water in a reservoir: the bright clarity, the light, the sweetness of our commitment. And then, when the darkness of the night comes along, bringing with it bitterness and sorrow, we will plunge into those pure clean waters of God's grace. Even though at that moment I may be blind, I will still see. Even though I may be parched, I will be refreshed by the waters that flow from the Heart of Christ unto life everlasting. Then, we will persevere in the struggle."
Our Lady had no other desire in this world than to give herself over entirely to the fulfillment of God's will.
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