How often do we stop to reflect if my life is in accordance with God’s will? After all, we pray each day in the Lord’s Prayer “your will be done”. Jesus stresses how important the pursuit of God’s will is for those who hope to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 7: 21
Jesus goes on to say that we discover God’s will by listening to his words. To do so is like building upon a strong foundation. Not to do so would be to build a life upon sand, which is only to be swept away by the strong currents of flooding waters.
The Prophet Isaiah spoke similarly to the people of his time.
Trust in the Lord forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.
Isaiah 26: 4-6
I know my life as an archbishop is quite different from the lay person living in the world with different responsibilities. But my life is also one of an ‘active apostolate’ lived in the world, dealing with many worldly realities; legislators and government officials to name just a few. As such, I find more and more how difficult it is to quiet my mind and heart during prayer, and yet I know how important that is if I am to succeed in effectively preaching God’s word and helping others to know and discover God’s will in their own journey of faith.
Thus, I encourage and remind this readership of the importance of seeking to prayerfully know God’s will in each of your lives. To do this we need prayer, silence, sacraments – especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation – and God’s Word. We need Jesus Christ, and to be intimate in our relationship with the Lord, profoundly sensitive to the inspirations and promptings of the Holy Spirit in our life.
Do not doubt this is possible for you!
It is by God’s will that Jesus Christ came into the world. It is by God’s will that Jesus walked among us preaching the Gospel of God. It is by God’s will that Jesus gave his life on the cross for our salvation. It is by God’s will and the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ rose from the dead to give life to the world! It is by God’s will that Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit and to remain with us always.
Christ is our firm foundation. Upon the Lord we are called to build our life. Let us listen to Him who desires to reveal to us the Father and the Father’s will. Let us trust Him who gives us his Holy Spirit that we may have all we need to become those wise people who build our lives upon the Rock of Salvation!
Peace!
9