The Holy Will of God: Source of Peace and Happiness
By Fr. Leo Pyzalski, C.SS.R.
All the strangeness and uncertainty of this challenging year has driven me to keep turning to spiritual writings along the theme of trusting in Divine Providence. This little book did not disappoint and instead has proven to be quite a winner as far as living up to its subtitle “Source of Peace and Happiness." And our existence really boils down to just the main title, “The Holy Will of God” – nothing more, nothing less and nothing else! It’s so basic, we all know it, yet the continual distractions and constant pull from the various things of this world keep blurring the wonderful simplicity of this in our minds. Hence, the practice of frequently returning our attention to this fundamental truth is paramount.
Even though in parts it seemed to be exclusively aimed at religious, I really appreciated and received much strength, guidance and light from reading this book. It has 27 brief chapters including, but not limited to:
“Supernatural Peace, the Sweet Reward for Submitting to the Will of God”;
“The Will of God in Daily Difficulties and Failures”;
“The Will of God in our Spiritual Misery”;
“Wrongs and Injuries You Suffer Are the Will of God”;
“The Will of God in Humiliations”;
“About Some Unfathomable Designs of Divine Providence” and
“Love of the Divine Will, the Sweetest Consolation in Painful Trials.”
I suspect at this stage of the freakish year of 2020, most of us probably feel like we could do with any sweetness and consolation that we can get right now!
For those enduring sickness, when long prayers might be too exhausting, we are told, “Let your prayer…be very simple…The only important thing is that your mind be lovingly turned to God, actually or virtually, in proportion to the amount of grace bestowed upon you by the Holy Ghost.”
In the section titled “Holy Obedience, The Clearest Manifestation of the Divine Will” we see in beautifully-clear terms that, “The orders of legitimate superiors unmistakably manifest the Will of God. And sanctity means nothing but childlike, wholehearted love of the Divine Will, both in theory and in practice.”
Further on in the chapter called “Adherence Makes Character Invincible” we are provided additional clarity and advice, as follows, “Let us add here that there is no other way of advancing in Christian fortitude and sanctity than that of cheerful adherence to the Will of God…Now, our self-will undoubtedly is the arch-enemy of our sanctification and our future glory. Let us valiantly attack the very center of his frontline, despite all obstacles and difficulties, by wholehearted and childlike adherence to God’s good pleasure and Will.”
A small publication, with only 163 pages, this pocket-sized powerhouse is easy to carry with you, so you can tap into the encouraging and consoling wisdom that permeates every paragraph, whenever it is needed throughout your day! The profoundly comforting themes and ever-useful advice provided in this book will not disappoint the reader who takes these things to heart, and endeavours to put them into practice.
