Abandonment to Divine Providence (Two)
Last week
we considered a great Christian classic, “Abandonment to Divine Providence,” by
Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751). In the passage below de Caussade speaks of
learning to see God’s hand and His will in the everyday events of our ordinary
lives, knowing that God is “speaking” to us, leading us, guiding us
continually, moment by moment. Sometimes we just need to have the eyes and ears
to see and hear (Mt 11:15).
“You speak,
Lord, to each individual soul by the circumstances occurring at every moment of
life. Instead, however, of hearing Your voice in these events, and receiving
with awe what is obscure and mysterious in these Your words [i.e., the
circumstances], men see in their only the outward aspect, or chance, or the
caprice of others, and censure everything. They would like to add, or diminish,
or reform, and to allow themselves absolute liberty to commit any excess, the
least of which would be a criminal and unheard-of outrage.
They
respect the holy Scriptures, on the other hand, and will not permit the
addition of even a singe comma. ‘It is the word of God’ say they, ‘and is
altogether holy and true. If we cannot understand it, it is all the more
wonderful and we must give glory to God, and render justice to the depths of
His wisdom.’
All this is
perfectly true, but when you read God's word from moment to moment [in the
everyday circumstances of life], not written with ink on paper, but on your
soul with suffering, and the daily actions that you have to perform, does it
not merit some attention on your part? How is it that you cannot see the will
of God in all this?
Instead you
find fault with everything that happens, nothing pleases you. For we are
judging by our senses and our own thinking that which can only be measured by
faith. We read, with the eyes of faith, the word of God in the Scriptures; in a
similar way, we are very wrong to “read” God’s “word” with eyes other than
faith when it comes to us amidst His activities [in our daily lives].”
The language is a bit difficult (we’ve made adjustments
for clarity). But to say it another way: De Caussade’s insight is that just as
God speaks to us in Holy Scripture, He is also speaking to us in what He does
every day, i.e., in our daily activities and events. So just as in Scripture,
we not only read the literal words but also listen with the ears of faith where
the Holy Spirit discloses the Lord’s word to our souls – so, too, in the activities
and events of our ordinary daily lives, the Holy Spirit is disclosing the
Lord’s word to our souls and revealing what He wants to “speak” to us
individually, and right there is where we can find God’s will for us. Think of
Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Nazareth: diaper changing, washing dishes, carpentry.
Nothing spectacular by worldly standards, but every moment filled with God,
with love, and with suffering and difficulties offered up to the Father and
filled with His grace.
Dibby Green
Originally published in the print edition of the Mojave Desert News on August 22, 2019.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in California City, CA. Visit our website at ollcalcity.org.