And there are many times when we're suddenly faced with decisions or situations that come out of left field, and we are confused, and conflicted. What should we do? St. Teresa of Avila has the answer for us. At those times her soul would seek out God within its depths and would hear God say "Do as I say." St. Teresa of Avila's response to God was always to tell Him that she loved Him, and to ask Him what He wanted, here and now:
"Lord, what will you have me do?"
The Blessed Mother, in her relationship with her Son Jesus, understood what it meant to have perfect trust in Him and His ability to guide us. When they attended a wedding and the bride and groom had run out of wine, Mary observed to Jesus "They have no wine." Then in perfect trust she turned to the men who filled the wine casks and told them "Do what He says. Do what He tells you to do."
I imagine these simple servants were totally astonished and confused when Jesus instructed them to fill the empty wine casks with water. Wouldn't you and I, if we'd been in their place, have wondered at this man's instructions, even His sanity? But they obeyed Him, and a torrent of the best wine possible poured out of those casks to astonish and delight everyone. Everyone except Mary. She knew Who her Son was; she knew what He was capable of doing.
Do we believe in Who Jesus is: Son of God and Son of Mary? Do we believe that He can take the water of our ordinary human responses and actions, so flawed, so limited, and turn them into the finest wine of love, healing, justice, and opportunity?
The closer we come to the Light of our Lord, the more clearly we see ourselves. We realize how limited we are and how great God is, we recognize our past mistakes, and we realize that our gifts are small indeed. Yet, St. Teresa says that when she recognized her failings, and suffered knowing that nothing she could do would be perfect, Jesus said to her
"Look after what is mine, and I will look after what is yours."
If we tell God how much we love Him, if we humbly say "Yes" to Him, and we put ourselves at His disposal, He will accomplish what He wants through the simple water that we are. He will fight our battles for us. He will open the Red Seas of difficulties so that our paths lie smooth and we can cross to the other side. Our hearts can rest, knowing that our God indeed will look after us and all that is ours. He has a great plan for our lives!
We never deserve the spiritual gifts that God gives us, yet He pours His love over us in abandon. Sometimes we feel so comforted, so intimately one with this our dearest Friend. We are joyful and peaceful because we know that even without our knowledge, God is guarding us, guiding us, giving us advice for our lives. He speaks only to us individually about us. St. Teresa says
"This experience is a love letter from God to you, written with pure love, composed in a secret code meant for you alone. Only you can understand what He is saying and what He is asking of you."
Each of our relationships with God is unique. He has unique tasks for each of us. We need to learn to trust His voice, as Mary did, even when others wonder about our decisions. Although sometimes, when we are truly confused, it's good to discuss our decisions beforehand with a spiritual guide, - a spiritual director or priest or minister who is mature in the faith.
How beautiful it is to rest with God, always listening for His inner voice, which comes to us like impulses, little pushes, to nudge us forward to do good. "Trust yourself and me," God is saying to us with these little pushes. "I want you to do this for me. These children I send you to, this work I have for you to do, is mine. As you do it, I will inspire you and guide you. And I will look after you and all whom you love."
If we truly trust God, we will become less and less scared, less and less worried about not doing things perfectly, not being perfect. No one is perfect except God. All God wants from us is a humble surrender and a "Yes." God will do the rest. And we will be astonished when suddenly our humble water has been transformed into the finest wine!
Dear Friends,
We are traveling to see our children this weekend and to attend a grandchild's Graduation party. Pray for me as I pray for you, and I'll write again on Monday or Tuesday.