Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Main Obstacle to Great Sanctity and How to Overcome It

The Crucified and Humanity ReconciledThe words of Christ, "Without Me you can do nothing", imply that all the work is done by Him. What then, prevents you from 'tying up' with this tremendous power, from being an effective instrument in the competent hands of such omnipotence? It is your own will!
God gives the grace necessary for doing all He asks of us. Due to unwillingness to cooperate on our part, many graces are merely sufficient. God will not sanctify me against my will, but He can change my stubborn resistance, if I let Him. He can change my subjective thinking - this is the way I feel about it, therefore that's the way it is - into a desire to listen to Him. Subjective thinking can keep God from reaching me with simple truths about my obstructions to grace. By giving God permission I can be stripped of my objections to His taking over, and clothed with a dynamic desire to reach Him.
God has a plan to sanctify us through the action of grace in our souls. He can make us great saints, if we let Him. We know that He loves us and wants to give us eternal life, yet we do not seem to act that way. On taking thought, we should come to the conclusion that the way out of the dilemma is to give Him permission and then determine to accept everything that happens to me. Pius XII said (in Mediator Dei) that all Christians are victim souls, and he suggests that we offer ourselves to God at the offertory of the Mass. Or, we can make a deep commitment to this permission in the privacy of our heart.
Compose a short prayer giving God permission to change you, so that you will more readily respond to grace in accepting what each moment brings.
Compose a short prayer giving God permission so to purify you that you can become an effective channel of grace by fully accepting His plan for you and for the world. (Do not use words like martyr, victim, etc.)

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