Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 <inaudible>.
Speaker 1 00:04 We've talked a little bit about suffering in the will of God. So let's start this morning with a review. Remember, we imagined an artist who's going to carve a chunk of marble into a beautiful statue, but the odd thing about this Marvel was it had feelings and a voice. So imagine every time that artists hit that chunk of marble with his chisel, it cried wine and we realized the chest is this imaginary chunk of marble could never be sincere about wanting to be carved into a beautiful statue if it kept crying and whining every time the artist hit it with his chisel. So also we'll never be serious about becoming saints unless we tried to go up, spit out our thumbs, quit running and get serious about not complaining and whining about the suffering and annoyances that come into our lives as the late great father Dan put it, we're not sincere about becoming Holy unless we refuse to make peace with a habit of complaining and murmuring against God's will unless we're willing to develop a habit of his recognizing his working through us by creatures.
Speaker 1 01:21 Unless we worked at trust, please submit without rebellion and without resentment to the action of God upon us. This submission to the actually got upon us is not to the unpleasant thing. This submission is not to the evil that we bear, but our submission is to the action of God which is taking place. We submit to the will of God, which is bringing about the suffering or the pain that we call evil. To use our comparison, that chunk of marble again, in order to become a beautiful sculpture or imaginary chunk of Marvel is not directly submitting to the blows from the chisel even though those blows are actually striking. It. It's not directly submitting those bows from the chisel, but rather to the will of the artist who must use this. Painful means these blows in order to bring forth this beautiful statue. Okay? And as we saw in Romans eight 28 st Paul says, quote to those that love God, all things work together on the good clothes, quote, generic word of God.
Speaker 1 02:26 So much for our review. Every one of us should burn that line from sacred scripture to his mind. For those that love God, all things work together on the good this morning. Once again, let's follow the late great father Dan who pointed out something very important about happiness. Our unhappiness in this life is rooted in our failure to fully realize that if we love God, all things work together on the good. Why is it our unhappiness? But in the failure to re realize that, father easy, when are we happy? We get what we want, right? Let's stand back from it. And this life, nobody that lives at the level of feelings or reason gets what he wants. Not the rich, not the famous, not the powerful. Nobody gets whatever he wants. Nobody that lives at the level of feelings of reasons, not one person given the world we live in, we can never get all that we want in this life. We all have to suffer.
Speaker 1 03:39 We all have to die. Only those who truly live at the level of faith get what they want and why is that? Because those who live at the level of faith, which is above the level of feelings which is above the level of reason, those who live at the level of faith realized the only way to be happiness life is to want what we get and that way we'll get what we want. If we want what we get, then we'll want what God wants to give to us. If we want what we get, we want what God wants us to have and what God wants us to have is the best thing for us. That's above the level of feelings because a lot of what God wants to give us doesn't feel good. That's a loss of level of reason because of a lot of it doesn't seem completely reasonable, especially when we look at suffering and Catholics are the only people that can look suffering right in the eye and see it for what it is.
Speaker 1 04:45 But we have to be living at the level of faith. We have to keep in mind that when we suffer, God's not trying to torment us and just because he doesn't take it away doesn't mean that he's ignoring us. So what is God doing when we suffer? We'll never forget that. Thanks to Adam, we're already damaged goods right from the very get go. Okay? Then if we take original sin and add on top of it, the damage we've done to ourself from actual sin, we're pretty messed up spiritually speaking. Each one of us is kind of like a car that's been in such a terrible wreck that it's total. It's all smashed up and red. When you take a smash car in to be repaired, the frame has to be straightened up. There's all this body work. Things have to be banged up. There's grinding, welding, and painting and whatnot. So forth. Spiritually speaking, we've been totaled by rich and actual sin. That's how we start up total. And so what's God? What is God doing with suffering? Spiritually speaking, he's trying to fix the wreck situation. Each one of his find himself in, he's trying to make us Holy. He's trying to conform us to his son who is crucified, son, okay, father, but why do you keep using the phrase God's trying?
Speaker 1 06:15 Because it's the scary part. He's given us each a free will and just like the devil and everyone else down there and hell, we can actually refuse to conform ourselves to his will and what does that mean? That means if we persist in this refusal to conform ourselves to God's action in our life, will your fuse to conform ourselves to his will? It means that all that suffering goes to waste and this life for the next doesn't mean we'll get out from under it. Nobody gets out from suffering. Nobody gets out of this alive. We're all going to suffer. We're all going to die. Nobody gets out of it. A lot of people lie to themselves, but nobody gets out of it.
Speaker 1 07:03 So we can refuse to conform ourselves to God's will, but it's easy with the eyes of faith to see how crazy that is. If we keep in mind that since God is infinitely wise, he knows what's best for us. And since he's infinitely loving, he wants what's best for us and to teach infinite loving he can and will do what's best for us if we just let him. We need to burn now as realities and our mind since God's instantly wise, he knows what's best for us. Since he's infinitely loving, he wants what's best for us. Since he's infinitely powerful, he can and will do what's best for us. If we love God, all things work together for our good. See now fonts, his comments on this line from scripture, quote, God wills only our good God loves this more than anybody else can or does love us.
Speaker 1 08:09 His will is it. No one should lose his soul that everyone should say and sanctify his soul. Even chastisements come to us, not to crush us, but to make us mend our ways and save our souls. Those who love God are always happy because their whole happiness is to fulfill even in adversity, the will of God afflictions do not monitor serenity because by accepting misfortune, they know they give pleasure to their beloved Lord. If solar is resigned to God's will or humiliated, they want to be humiliated. If they are poor, they want to be poor. In short, whatever happens is acceptable to hence they're truly a piece in this life. This is the beautiful freedom of the sons of God and is worth vastly more and all the kingdoms of the world. This is the body piece, which in the spirits of the saints surpasses all understanding.
Speaker 1 09:14 Close quote, Saint Alphonsus Bishop and dr the church, but he's not alone. St Vincent Paul says exactly the same thing. Quote, we ought to submit to the will of God and be content in whatever state it may please him to place us, nor should we ever desire to change it for another until we know that such is his pleasure. This is the most excellent and most useful practice that can be adopted upon earth. One act of resignation to the divine will whenever Danes what is repugnant to us, it's worth more than a hundred thousand successes according to our own lone pleasure, close quote st Vincent DePaul that's worth hearing again, one act of resignation to divine will when other Danes what is repugnant to us. It's worth more than a hundred thousand successes according to our own will and pleasure. We could keep multiplying quotes. The writings of the saints are full of these. I could literally stand up here for an hour and keep reading the same thing. Let's close with a few concrete examples.
Speaker 1 10:25 June 15th, 1941 my dear mama, at the end of the month of may, I was transferred to the camp of Auschwitz. Everything as well in my regard be tranquil about me and my health because the good God is everywhere and provides for everything with love, cordial greetings and if a kisses affectionately Raymond, close quote, dear mama, I'm an Auschwitz but be tranquil about me and my health because the good God is everywhere and provides for he was loved. Those who love God are always happy because their whole happiness is to fulfill even in adversity the will of God. This is the beautiful freedom of the sons of God is what's Fastly more than all the kingdoms of the world. Raymond's name and religion was Maximillian father max and Colby. One of the first task which prisoners father Conrad status says quotes. The work was done at Iran with foreman station every seven yards to beat any prisoner, especially priests who slowed down.
Speaker 1 11:39 It was a real way of the cross for father Maximillian. It lasted two weeks. He was singled out to carry loads that were two or three times what non priest carried it. Carrying anything, especially at a run was difficult over the uneven of the swamp. If he paused arrest, he was beaten with stick, fell a priest, Hassan bleeding, wanted help, but he told them usually with a smile, don't expose yourself to a BT. The macrolide is helping me. I'll get along close quotes. He told him with a smile. The max a lot is helping me.
Speaker 1 12:16 Those who love God are always happy because their whole happiness is to fulfill even in adversity, the will of God. This is the beautiful freedom of the sons of God and it's worth vastly more and all the kingdoms of the world. Father Conrad feta quote, sometimes I was deeply depressed and complained that I could not go on, but what if God wants you to live and survive this camp? He asked, he yelled out. Mary can be saying she is the consoler, the afflicted who listens to everyone, helps everyone who calls on her. I found a special comfort in his urging. Take Christ's hand and one of yours and Mary's and the other. Now even if you are in darkness, you can go forward with the confidence of a child guided by his parents. Close quote, take Christ's hands and one of yours and Mary's and the other, and even if you're in darkness, you can go on with a confidence of a child, a child guided by his parents, those who love God are always happy because their all happiness is to fulfill.
Speaker 1 13:26 Even in adversity, the will of God is in the beautiful freedom of the sons of God and it's worth Fastly more and all the kingdoms of the world are there. Susie Rosa and certain quotes. In a certain sense, the concentration camp was beneficial to me. There was certainly nothing routine about my prayers. It tense, anguish filled with the deepest faith and salted with tears. That's how I prayed it. Auschwitz. When I came into contact with father Colby, I was still approaching God. Rebelliously. Why? Why? How can you permit all this? At that time, father Colby still bought bruises and signs a beating, but he never complained. It was he helped me penetrate the meaning of suffering. Father Colby still pro bore bruises and signs of beanie, but he never complained. Tell us who have got her. Always happy because their happiness is to fulfill even in adversity, the will of God. This is the beautiful freedom of the sons of God and it's word fast, Seymour and all the kingdoms of the world from a prisoner who knew st Maximillian cause he tried his vocation with his Franciscans years before I express my deep sorrow over his terrible beating. He replied that he was glad suffer that everything came from the Lord.
Speaker 1 14:55 All one could see them was peace, humility, total submission to God's will and a great compassion for fellow prisoners. While the rest of us impatiently looked for liberation, he said he wanted whatever God in the macula wanted that will be best in a concentration camp where we were crushed by inhuman sufferings and robbed the faith. He not only accepted everything is from God's hand, but thanked him and loved him all the more close quote he wanted, whatever God in the macula wanted, that will be best in the concentration camp. He not only accepted everything as from God's hand, but he thanked him, loved him all the war. The only way to be happy in this life is to want what we get. And that's the only way we're going to get what we want. If we want what we get, then we want what God wants to give us, what God wants us to have, what God wants us to have is the best thing for us. God wills only our good God loves us more than anyone else can or does love us. His will is it. No one should lose his soul that everyone should save and sanctifies. So even chastises come to us, not to crush us, but to make us mender ways and save ourselves. If Saint Maximilian call, we can be happy in Auschwitz. We can be happy here.
Speaker 1 16:26 If he can be happy now we can be happy here. Let's take Christ hand you one of ours, the blessed Virgin Mary's and another, and then even if we're in darkness, we can go forward with a confidence of a child, God by his parents, those who love God are always happy because they're all happiness is to fulfill even in adversity, the will of God. That's the beautiful freedom of the sons of God and it's worth Fastly more than all the kingdoms of the world. For those that love God, all things work together under the good. Those who love God are always happy. Let's start loving God. Really loving him right now.
