Listening Again To The Events In Our Lives

[BarbTherese]

[url="http://www.churchresources.info/missionspirit/0810/RANSON.pdf"]http://www.churchres...0810/RANSON.pdf[/url]


What follows is only an excerpt from the article and apologies for the formatting, which I dont seem to be able to correct: The article originated in "Church Resources" (Australian Catholic News)

[b][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]Beyond Fear into Love: Listening again to the events of our live[/size][/font][/size][/font][/b]

[font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]believe at heart that God is for us, that God works for our good, and that God[/size][/font][/size][/font]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]is working through the events or our own life to bring about his purposes for us. This[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]belief does not mean that we will not have difficulties, that we will not make mistakes[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]or that seemingly bad things won’t happen to us. This belief does not make us[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]immune from life’s unpredictability and vicissitudes.[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]What, I believe, it does mean, rather, is that we are enabled to enter into all that does[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]happen to us - good and bad - with critical discernment. It means we are given the[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]space to always ask, “What is the lesson, what is the invitation, what is the possibility[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]contained in any thing that occurs in our life?”[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]In the 17th[/size][/font][/size][/font][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]century there was a famous French spiritual writer, Jean Pierre de[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]Caussade. He wrote these words,[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]Faith sees the work of divine action in everything. It sees that Jesus[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]Christ lives in all things, extending his influence over the centuries[/size][/font][/size][/font]






[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]so that the briefest moment and the tiniest atom contain a portion of[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]that hidden life and its mysterious work. Jesus Christ, after his[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]resurrection, surprised the disciples when he appeared before them[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]in disguise . . . the same Jesus still lives and works among us, still[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]surprises . . . there is no moment when God is not manifest . . .[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]Everything that happens to us, in us, and through us, embraces and[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]conceals God’s divine but veiled purpose . . . If we could pierce that[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]veil and if we were vigilant and attentive, God would unceasingly[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]reveal himself to us and we would rejoice in his works, and in all[/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]that happens to us we would say to everything, “It is the Lord.”[/size][/font][/size][/font]






[left][font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]De Caussade is not advocating that we passively accept all that happens to us[/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]naively as the will of God. Clearly bad things happen to us in our life and this is not[/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/left]
[font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=1][font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]the will of God. What he is suggesting, however, is............ [u][b]READ ENTIRE ARTICLE ON ABOVE LINK[/b][/u][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font]

[Spem in alium]

What a beautiful piece of writing. I love it Thank you for sharing.

[BarbTherese]