Daily Reflections - January 24, 2012

DOING THE WILL OF MY FATHER

Today is the Feast day of St. Francis de Sales. He lived through a very turbulent era of the Church’s history, namely the Reformation years, and contributed greatly to the Church’s response to the Protestant challenge as the Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. Francis was a man at home with the rich and powerful as well as the poor. His great contribution to the heritage of Christian spirituality is his masterpiece, The Introduction to the Devout Life. For Francis, everything came back to the love of God and our choice to love Him in return.
The wisdom of his many writings still inspire us today and we owe a lot to his example and commitment. It is imperative that we discover the truths of God’s love for us as Francis did. Maybe we will not understand it in the same way as he did, but I am sure that the basic truths are still the same. This is why the writings of the saints, like those of the literary masters of any language, have a timeless quality to them. It is important for our spiritual health that we seek to do some spiritual reading on a regular basis. In this way we can imbibe the wisdom and learning of centuries of spiritual experience without having to go through the process of learning it all over again.
Jesus teaches one of the basic truths in today’s Gospel when He tells us that it is those who do the will of His Father in heaven who are His mother, brother and sister. For Jesus, obedience to the will of God is far more important than bloodlines or what has happened in the past. Whatever our history may be, it is what we make of our lives from now on that really matters to God. If only we could develop the habit that would keep our lives in this perspective.
The saints practice acknowledging the presence of God throughout their lives. Their minds and hearts remain captive to both His love and His will. This is one of the keys to sanctity. Let us pray for the grace to learn this discipline. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How focused are you in your life? Do you have a set of goals that you want to achieve? Or do you simply float along like a leaf falling from a tree?

Holy Spirit, help me to get the right focus in my life and to keep it. Let me always know and do Your will with joy so that I will remain always in Your love.