Abandonment; or, Absolute Surrender to Divine Providence — John Shaqi
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
But let me, O Lord, render glory, all glory, to Thy divine action! In
it I find the happiness of the martyrs, austerities and sacrifice of
self for others. This action, this will, sufficeth me. Whatever life
or death it ordains for me I am content. It pleases me in itself far
more than all its instruments and its effects, since it permeates all
things, renders them divine, and transforms them into itself. It maketh
heaven for me everywhere; all my moments are purely filled with the
divine action; and living or dying, it is my sole contentment.
Yes, my Beloved, I will cease to prescribe Thee hours or methods; Thou
shalt be ever welcome. O divine action, Thou seemest to have revealed
me Thy immensity. I will but walk henceforth in the bosom of Thy
infinity. The tide of Thy power flows to-day as it flowed yesterday.
Thy foundation is the bed of the torrent whence graces unceasingly
flow; Thou holdest the waters thereof in Thy hand, and movest them at
will. No longer will I seek Thee within the narrow limits of a book,
the life of a saint, a sublime thought. No: these are but drops of that
great ocean which embraces all creatures. The divine action inundates
them all. They are but atoms which sink into this abyss. No longer will
I seek this action in spiritual intercourse. No more will I beg my
bread from door to door. I will depend upon no creature.
Yes, Lord, I would live to Thy honor as the worthy child of a true
Father, infinitely good, wise, and powerful. I would live as I believe,
and since the divine action labors incessantly and by means of all
things for my sanctification, I would draw my life from this great and
boundless reservoir, ever present, and ever practically available.
Is there a creature whose action equals that of God? And since this
uncreated hand directs all that comes to me, shall I go in search of
aid from creatures who are impotent, ignorant, and indifferent to me?
I was dying of thirst; I ran from fountain to fountain, from stream
to stream; and behold at hand was a source which caused a deluge;
water surrounded me on all sides! Yes, everything becomes bread to
nourish me, water to cleanse me, fire to purify me, a chisel to give
me celestial form. Everything is an instrument of grace for my
necessities; that which I sought in other things seeks me incessantly
and gives itself to me by means of all creatures.
O Love! will men never see that Thou meetest them at every step, while
they seek Thee hither and thither, where Thou art not? When in the open
country, what folly not to breathe its pure air; to pause and study
my steps when the path is smooth before me; to thirst when the flood
encompasses me; to hunger for God when I may find Him, relish Him, and
receive His will through all things!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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