8/11/2019 Advent I - Thu - Will of God

1/2

+JMJD

Advent I Thu

The Will of God, the Foundation of our Lives

Mt 7:2, 2!"27

The #e$ to this i%a&e used '$ Jesus is the (ill of God

For %edieval )athedrals, it (as )o%%on for foundations to &o as dee* as t(ent$"five feet

under&round The foundation (as laid out and %ar#ed (ith sta#es and strin& The (or#%en du&

dee* tren)hes and filled the% (ith )arefull$ )ut stones and %ortar While foundations (ere 'ein&

laid, s#illed )rafts%en (or#ed in uarries and *rodu)ed 'lo)#s of stone that (ould 'e used in the

'uildin& *ro)ess It (ould not 'e unusual for as %an$ as fift$ advan)ed s#illed a**renti)es to

(or# in a uarr$ alon& (ith 2-. la'ourers

For Jesus, the foundation of a house or )athedral (as an i%a&e of God/s (ill in our lives

The s*iritual house of the soul is the *erfe)tion of virtues, for as a %aterial house is 'uilt (ith %u)h la'or,

and rises '$ de&rees (ith various stones and 'ea%s, so is the s*iritual house 'uilt u* '$ various virtues

and hol$ o*erations, and '$ lon& la'or and slo( de&rees, al(a$s founded on the love of God The

hidden foundation of a stron& house is li#e the (a$ God/s love is hidden (ithin our lives and

su**orts it throu&hout all of our a)tions

To 0listen1 to Jesus is to #no( (hat he sa$s, to ta#e it to heart, to 'elieve in the% (ith

)onvi)tion in su)h a (a$ that it )han&es $our interior dis*osition and )hara)ter

To a)t on Jesus/ (ords is the sa%e as to )onfor% ourselves to the (ill of is Father in

heaven Jesus )a%e to do the Father/s (ill: 0The (ill of %$ Father is %$ %eat and drin#,1 he

sa$s And he )a%e to tea)h us to do the Father/s (ill, so he tau&ht us to *ra$ to the Father, 0Th$

(ill 'e done on earth as it is in heaven1

3o%%entin& on this *hrase in thePater Noster, 4t Tho%as affir%s our onl$ *ra$er

should 'e that God/s (ill is done in us, 0that is, that is (ill 'e a))o%*lished in us The heart of

%an is onl$ ri&ht (hen it is in a))ord (ith the (ill of God1 Thus did 3hrist As God, 3hrist had

the sa%e (ill as the Father 5ut as %an, he )hose to )onfor% his hu%an (ill to that of the Father,

there'$ &ivin& us and e6a%*le and a hel* In this (a$, to follo( 3hrist is the (ill of God, that

ro)# u*on (hi)h the house of our soul is sta'ilied and %ade fir% throu&h all trials and

te%*tations The foundation of our lives should 'e to follo( 3hrist as the Father (ills for us

What is God/s (ill for us8

9ature of the (ill: it )hooses a &ood It has 'een )alled the 0rational as*e)t of desire1

Wh$ do (e )hoose a &ood8 'e)ause (e love it in so%e (a$ We (ant the &ood for

ourselves to 'e united (ith the thin& (e love;, or (ant to do &ood for the thin& (e love a &oin&out of ourselves;

What does it %ean, then, to 'e )onfor%ed to the (ill of God8 it %eans to 'e )onfor%ed to

the love of God

To enter into God/s love for i%self: to enter into the love that the Father has for the 4on,

in eternall$ *ourin& u*on i% all the ri)hes of divinit$< and the love the 4on has for the Father,

8/11/2019 Advent I - Thu - Will of God

2/2

+JMJD

Advent I Thu

The Will of God, the Foundation of our Lives

in eternal =o$ and &ratitude It is to enter into that love (hi)h is the su'stantial divine >erson, the

ol$ 4*irit

To 'e )onfor%ed to God/s love for us: God (ills our 'eatitude, our *erfe)t ha**iness, our

eternal life 0This is eternal life, that the$ #no( the onl$ true God, and Jesus 3hrist (ho% e hassent1 John 7:?; God/s (ill is that (e #no( and love i% This is not &ood for i%< it is &ood

for us

God %ade %en for a *ur*ose< 'ut this *ur*ose (as not for their %ere *leasures, for also

the 'easts have these, 'ut it (as that the$ %i&ht have eternal life 9o(, (hen that for

(hi)h a thin& is %ade is a))o%*lished, it is said to 'e saved< and (hen this is not

a))o%*lished, it is said to 'e lost 4o (hen %an &ains eternal life, he is said to 'e saved,

and it is this that the Lord (ills: @9o(, this is the (ill of M$ Father that sent Me, that

ever$ one (ho seeth the 4on and 'elieveth in i% %a$ have life everlastin&@ Jn :!.;

What a 'eautiful thou&ht, then: to 'e )onfor%ed to the (ill of God is to live in

a))ordan)e (ith is love for us, a love that desires our 'est &ood 4t Au&ustine *oints out:

When (e love an$thin& that )an 'e ta#en a(a$ fro% us a&ainst our (ills, (e ne)essaril$

%eet (ith a thousand dis)ontents and affli)tions 5ut the one (ho *la)es his =o$ in God

shall have an eternal =o$, 'e)ause God is eternal And if $ou desire $our =o$ to 'e eternal,

found $our love on God, (ho is eternal, to God (ho ad%its of no )han&e, and (ho

re%ains ever i%%ovea'le in the sa%e state and )ondition, a solid ro)#