Finding God’s Will & Following it

 

                                        Finding God’s Will & Following it

 

Isaac prefigures Christ who was sacrificed on the altar of the cross!  Why did God test Abraham in this manner?  Maybe the test was Abraham and his son Isaac’s test?

 

Isaac’s total acceptance and love of his father, isn’t that what Jesus did?

Trusting that the Father would make all things good.  We learn important lessons from Abraham and Isaac.

 

They listened to God and discovered God didn’t want human sacrifice, which was common in their time.  God wants to mold our hearts to His Will for our happiness.  In Genesis there is an important exchange between Abraham and Isaac.  Isaac asked his father where is the lamb to be sacrificed?  Abraham said that “God Himself would provide the lamb ….”

 

Abraham believed that God was going to provide a sacrifice and it would not be his son.  God’s Son would be the ultimate sacrifice.  God wanted Abraham and Isaac to do His Will because that is where their true happiness would be!

 

Isaac trusted that God would provide, even though it didn’t look that way.

 

The epic play and film Les Misérables by Victor Hugo begin with a simple yet profound moment of forgiveness.  Jean Valjean imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's daughter, is paroled after 19 years of hard labor; he is broken, bitter and desperate for work, but no one will hire him. Cold and hungry, he is taken in by a kindly bishop.

 

During the night, Valjean steals the bishop's silver plate and flees; he is quickly taken into custody.  The police bring him to the bishop for identification.  Indeed it is his silver, the but the bishop explains that he gave Valjean the silver.  He thanks the police for bringing Valjean to him because Valjean forget to take the silver candlesticks.

 

Valjean is stunned by the bishop's extraordinary kindness and forgiveness.

The bishop only asks Valjean to use the silver to re-create his life and return God's goodness to others.  It is a moment of transformation for Valjean, who rediscovers within himself the love and mercy that led him to steal bread for his hungry niece.  He turns the silver into a fortune that benefits many; Valjean realizes that "to love another person is to see the face of God" and realized the ember of God's goodness burning within him. (Adopted from Connections, February, 2013)

 

That same touch of divinity exists within each one of us, as well: God is present within us.  Our challenge is to allow the divinity within us to shine through our actions.

 

Today reflect on “seeing” the face of God" in each other and realize that the ember of God's goodness burning within each person.

 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

 

Saint Andre Bessette intercede for us.

 

May God Be Praised!