TRUST IN GOD'S WISDOM

St. Claude de la Colombiere

It is usually the case that other people can see better than we can ourselves what is good for us. It would be foolish to think that we can see better than God Himself, who is not subject to any of the passions that blind us, knows the future and can foresee all events and the consequences of every action. Experience shows that even the gravest misfortunes can have good results and the greatest successes can end in disaster. A rule also that God usually follows is to attain His ends by ways that are the opposite to those human prudence would normally choose.

Joseph was sold into slavery and thrown into prison. If he had felt aggrieved at these apparent misfortunes, he would really have been feeling aggrieved at his happiness for they were the steps to the throne of Egypt. Saul loses his father's assess and has to go on a long vain hunt for them. But if he had felt annoyed at the great waste of time and energy it caused him, his annoyance could not have been more unreasonable as it was all a means of bringing him to the prophet who was to anoint him king of his people.

Let us imagine our confusion when we appear before God and understand the reasons why He sent us the crosses we accept so unwillingly. The death of a child will then be seen as its rescue from some great evil had it lived, separation from the woman you love the means of saving you from an unhappy marriage, a severe illness the reason for many years of life afterwards, loss of money the means of saving your soul from eternal loss. So what are we worried about? God is looking after us and yet we are full of anxiety! We trust ourselves to a doctor because we suppose he knows his business. He orders an operation which involves cutting away part of our body and we accept it. We are grateful to him and pay him a large fee because we judge he would not act as he does unless the remedy were necessary, and we rely on his skill. Yet we are unwilling to treat God in the same way!

- Source: Marian Messenger, Volume III, Issue No. 1

ST. JOHN BOSCO'S VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES

NEGROS AND CEBU PROVINCES St. John Bosco's relic is on world tour, and the Philippines is one of those countries his relic visited. His relic made visits to different provinces, cities and towns in the country. From December 5 to December 23, 2010, his relic visited the cities and towns of the provinces of Negros and Cebu. The relic's first destination in the Philippines was the Negros province where it stayed there from December 5 to December 11, 2010. The relic arrived in my hometown, Cebu City on December 12 at the church of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, and from there, it visited other Salesian schools, homes, centers and the church of Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. On December 23, the relic was brought back to the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes for a farewell mass before its voyage to the nation's capital, Manila. The relic's journey in the Philippines ended on January 15, 2011. St. John Bosco's relic...

BLESSED JOHN PAUL II'S TOTUS TUUS

"Totus Tuus". It is a Latin phrase which means "I am totally yours." This was Blessed John Paul II's motto addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have you ever wondered why John Paul II had so much devotion to Mary? Source: Wikimedia Commons / cc In his book, Crossing The Threshold of Hope, John Paul II explained that his motto Totus Tuus was not just an expression of piety and devotion, it was his total abandonment and personal consecration to the Mother of God. His deep devotion to Mary was manifested in many different ways; among these is his Coat of Arms which bears the letter M that stands for Mary. Even his coffin has a letter M on it. He credited St. Louis Marie de Montfort for his Totus Tuus when he read the saint's book "True Devotion to Mary." John Paul II came to know the book "True Devotion to Mary" when he worked as a factory worker at a chemical plant during World War II. He studied the book and oftent...

SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

The Holy Rosary is composed principally and in substance of the "Our Father" and the "Hail Mary". But what is the history of the Holy Rosary? In 1214, St. Dominic, a priest, was working hard for the conversion of the Albigensian heretics, but his efforts were hindered by the gravity of people's sins. Feeling so depressed, he withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, France where he unceasingly prayed for three days and three nights. He did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease God's anger. His body was lacerated that he finally fell into a coma. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and said: "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" St. Dominic answered: "Oh my Lady, you know far better than I do because next to your son Jesus Christ, you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation." Our Lady replied: "I want you to know th...

Mary's Catholics

Search This Blog