“God is anxious that we get the maximum happiness out of life. Such is the purpose of His commandments.” (Venerable Fulton Sheen).
I recently read some words of Venerable Fulton Sheen, and they have intrigued me…
“When you buy an automobile, the manufacturer gives you a set of instructions. He tells you the pressure to which you ought to inflate your tires, the kind of oil you ought to use in the crankcase, and the proper fuel to put in the gas tank. He has nothing against you by giving you these instructions as God had nothing against you in giving you commandments. The manufacturer wants to be helpful; he is anxious that you get the maximum utility out of the car. And God is anxious that we get the maximum happiness out of life. Such is the purpose of His commandments.”
And I have been reflecting on these words today because they have reminded me about the importance of understanding the Holy Will of God and intentionally following it.
You see, God has given me the gift of life. And it is truly a gift.
It is estimated that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. On top of this there are a number of babies who are born at full term and without life. Additionally, there are children who die during childhood and adults who die at an age younger than mine.
And when you stop and consider all the statistics, it becomes clear that there are simply so many possible ways that a soul could enter eternity prior to my age. And this is not to say that those souls are somehow less important or less loved by God than mine. You see, every single created soul serves a purpose in God’s plan and as such every single created soul is important to God. I have only to think of my little son who died before he was even born, to understand that though I never held him in my arms and although the world has no recollection of him – and does not even know his name – his little soul prays for mine and I believe it was his prayers for me that persuaded God to come to me, in the silence of my soul and to heal me.
And yes – I first lost that soul and then needed to be healed by the prayers from him. But the miracle of that is that I would not have fallen in love with my Beloved without that entire experience…
And I have been thinking about that – because it must mean that I have something left to do by the very fact that I am still here. It must mean that God has some task for me to accomplish prior to my eternal rest.
And when I think about the millions of souls who enter eternity at a younger age than mine, I have to stop and think about why I am still here and what I must do with this gift of life that I have.
And when I think about those words of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, it occurs to me that my Beloved has provided me with an instruction manual and all that I am required to do is to follow the instructions – and the whole car will function beautifully…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.