Doing God’s Will in Moments of Pain
Perfect conformity with the divine will during the time of tribulation will store up great capital for eternity. (Lett., 1192, p. 258)
Doing the will of God, for St. Vincent Pallotti, is a very significant aspect of the life of a Christian. Jesus himself very clearly shows the importance of doing God’s will when he says to his disciples that his food is to do the will of his Father. According to St. Vincent, it is often easy and not demanding to do the will of God when everything goes well in a person’s life. In other words, if doing the will of God does not involve taking upon himself any form of difficulties, then one may find it easy to say ‘yes’ to the Lord. But reaching out in perfect conformity to what God wants of a person in times of tribulations is often very difficult. St. Vincent says that doing God’s will in moments of pain often brings to a person many favors and blessings from God because it involves unconditional faith and surrendering love. First, when a person accepts a great tribulation in his life as God’s will, his faith in God is tested. Despite the difficulty he faces, he believes that God knows what is good for him and that in his own way God will help him to find a way. He is ready to surrender himself and his situation to God because of his unconditional faith in God. Second, readiness to accept a painful event as God’s will involves surrendering oneself in love to God. His love for God is great since he is ready to love God despite his trouble. Since doing God’s will in times of trouble calls for unconditional faith and surrendering love, a person who does the will of God despite his troubles, will be great in the eyes of God.
Do I acknowledge the value of doing God’s will in my life? Am I open to accept the will of God and carry it out in my life in times of tribulations? Do I understand the value of accepting God’s will when it involves pain? Do I have an unconditional faith and surrendering love to say ‘yes’ to God when he sends me troubles in my life?
I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart. (Ps. 40: 8)