Abandonment; or, Absolute Surrender to Divine ProvidenceCaussade, Jean Pierre de
Religion
Abandonment; or, Absolute Surrender to Divine Providence
Caussade, Jean Pierre de
Mysticism -- Catholic Church; Spiritual life -- Catholic Church
Thou speakest, Lord, to all mankind by general events. All revolutions
are but the tides of Thy Providence, which excite storms and tempests
in the minds of the curious. Thou speakest to each one in particular
by the events of his every moment. But instead of respecting the
mystery and obscurity of Thy words, and hearing Thy voice in all the
occurrences of life, they only see therein chance, the acts, the
caprice of men; they find fault in everything; they would add to,
diminish, reform--in fact, they indulge in liberties with these living
words of God, while they would consider it a sacrilege to alter a
comma of the Holy Scriptures. The Scriptures they revere: they are the
word of God, they tell you; they are true and holy. Though they may
comprehend them little, their veneration for them is no less great, and
they justly give honor and glory to God for the depth of His wisdom.
But, dear souls, have you no respect for the words God addresses you
each moment,--words which are not conveyed to you by means of ink
and paper, but by what you have to do and suffer from moment to
moment,--do these words merit nothing from you? Why do you not revere
the truth and will of God in all things? There is nothing which fully
satisfies you; you criticise and cavil at all that happens. Do you not
see that you try to measure by the senses and reason that which can be
measured by faith alone? And that while reading the word of God in the
Holy Scriptures with the eyes of faith, you gravely err when you read
this same word with other eyes in His works?
_CHAPTER V._
The Divine Action continues in our Hearts the Revelation begun in Holy
Scripture; but the Characters in which it is written will be Visible
only at the Last Day.
“Jesus Christ,” says the Apostle, “is the same yesterday, to-day, and
forever.” From the beginning of the world He was, as God, the principle
of the life of just souls. From the first moment of His incarnation His
humanity shared this prerogative of His divinity. Throughout our whole
lives He is working within us. The time of this world is but a day,
and this day is full of Him. Jesus Christ lived, and He still lives.
He began in Himself, and He continues in His saints, a life which will
never end. O life of Jesus, which embraces and exceeds all ages! Life
which unceasingly worketh new wonders! If the world is incapable of
embracing all that could have been written of the actual life of Jesus,
of all that He said and did upon earth; if the Gospel gives us only a
few traits of it; if so little is known even of that first hidden yet
fruitful hour of Bethlehem,--how many gospels must needs be written
to relate all the moments of that mystic life of Jesus Christ which
multiplies wonders infinitely, multiplies them eternally!--for all
times, properly speaking, are but the history of the divine action.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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