9781644135945

The Time After Pentecost
Prayer
O God, whose providence in the ordering of all things never fails, we humbly beseech Thee
to put away from us all harmful things and to give us those things which are profitable for us.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Friday
“Clap your hands, all ye nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. For the Lord is most high,
He is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth” (Introit). Now being made free from sin,
we have become “servants to God” (Epistle), ready to accept and do His will. To do whatever
God wills, and to do it lovingly, is the perfect road leading to sanctity and life eternal. “Being
made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and
the end life everlasting” (Epistle).
God guides us in two ways. He either takes our hand and bids us follow Him, or He carries us in
His arms as a mother carries her child. In the first instance He manifests His will in the commands,
duties, and demands of nature and social life (the revealed will of God). While fulfilling His will,
we cling to His hand by following His intentions, commandments, and desires, thus “taking
our little steps” (St. Francis de Sales). The second, a more passive way of fulfilling God’s will,
is “the will of God’s good pleasure.” This loving, powerful, and gentle operation of God within
us accompanies us wherever we are, under all conditions and circumstances. God is always at
work purifying and sanctifying our soul, and filling it with His life. “Are not five sparrows sold
for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? . . . Fear not, therefore; you are
of more value than many sparrows. . . . A hair of your head shall not perish” (Lk 12:6 f.; 21:18).
Thus God takes care of us. Everything, whether small or great must serve His purpose. He
guides, rules, and directs all things in such a way that they become a help to each and every
one of us, leading us on towards Him and His grace. “We know that to them that love God, all
things work together unto good” (Rom 8:28). With His infinite wisdom and love, God works
within us for our salvation, making use of the best possible means at the most opportune time
and in the most perfect manner. His loving providence guiding and directing our ways of life is
certain “to put away from us all harmful things and to give us those things which are profitable
for us” (Collect). Such is our faith and our hope.
“Commit thy way to the Lord and trust in Him, and He will do it” (Ps 36:5). We trust in
God’s plans concerning us; we have confidence “that to them that love God, all things work
together unto good.” We believe that all His plans for us have a divinely good intention, that
His love always and in all things rules His plans, and that His hand guides even when it strikes.
Behind the suffering, injustice, and bitterness about us, we do not merely see men and human
intentions; looking deeper we see God and His work. We believe. We submit to His holy will
and the cross He imposes on us, to whatever He permits, mysterious and dark though it may
sometimes appear. Submitting faithfully to all plans, trials, and afflictions, we are fully prepared
to let Him do with us whatever He pleases. “Commit thy way to the Lord,” let Him freely enter
and work in your soul. Learn to take life in full harmony with God’s providence. Give up your
own anxiety and solicitude. “Trust in Him, and He will do it.” Once we have given ourselves unreservedly
to God’s will and have become entirely His servants, our fruit will be life everlasting.
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