Lectio et Oratio

How can God's will be so glorious when so many of us treat His will so badly?

Think back to Christ's life. He did all things well. He went about doing good. And yet, how was he received? Even those closest to him, his Twelve, argued at the Last Supper who was the greatest. Ten of the Twelve fled at his arrest. Should we be surprised that God's will continues to be treated badly?

How can we learn to interpret the events of our life? 

By the Holy Spirit. He is the author of the Sacred Scriptures. He is also the author of all that happens in creation. Veni Creator Spiritus, the Church sings, come Creator Spirit. As He is the author, so He can teach us the meaning of what He is writing in our souls. But what if it all seems a great contradiction? What if all that happens is so perplexing? God's actions are only fully clear in heaven.

What is the meaning of the life of grace within us? 

We are sharing in the life of Christ. The Son of God became man and lived a human and historical life. The life within his human soul is the life of the Son of God. He transformed what it means to be human. That life, that love, that obedience, that humility of the Son of God made man is what is flowing down through the centuries. The meaning of what happens to us is making us like Christ. The more we share in his Passion, the more we will share in His Resurrection.

Does God speak to us in the Sacred Scriptures or the events of everyday life?

In both ways! God has said in His Word, Christ himself, all that He has to say to us. That divine revelation is transmitted to us in the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. But the same Lord creates all things through His Word. God's creation and his action in history is his original way of speaking. By faith in Christ, we are able to interpret what God is saying moment by moment. Christ is the key. Faith in Christ unlocks these mysteries.

Where does eternity meet time?

In the present moment. Think of eternity as a line and time as a rotating circle. Where does a line meet the edge of the circle? At one point. The present moment is where time and eternity meet. We must live not in the past or the future, but now. Here God is speaking to us. Here our duties and the inspirations of God show us His will.

What if events are ugly and hide God's beauty?

Faith can penetrate below the surface of things. More is happening in history and our lives than the senses can discern. God is infinite and mysterious. If God the Son is present in the small Christ child, if he can make Himself present under the appearances of bread and wine, he can act when and where he wants.

If God's action is always at work in the world, how do we recognize it?

By faith. Faith, St Paul says, is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. God's actions are unseen, invisible. Faith allows us to be sure that despite appearances, God is at work in this and that situation. Even when others mean to hurt us, God can bring good out of the situation.

Is God's activity involved with every event in history? 

Yes, God's providence extends as far as his causality, St Thomas tells us. All things are held in being by God. All things act through his enabled them to act. There is nothing that happens that God does not in some way allow. He is not the cause of sin. But he allows such things to bring some great good out of the evil.

What is the secret to sanctity? 

Union with the will of God. God knows what He is doing. He is the craftsman; we are his handiwork. We have to will what He wills for us. We have to say "fiat" to all that he asks of us and all he allows us to suffer.

Can we become holy if we neglect our duties of our state in life? 

No. God first and foremost asks us to be faithful in small things. We have to be faithful in all the responsibilities of our state in life. He will give us special inspirations. He will ask things beyond our normal duties. But we must walk before we can run. Let us be faithful in what our state requires of us. Let us do all these duties with love.