The Divine Will of God

The Divine Will of God

from various sources

Saint Francis de Sales on the Divine Will

Abraham Lincoln on the Divine Will

Washington, D.C.
September, 1862

This Fragment was found and preserved by John Hay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, who said it was "not written to be seen of men". Some of the thoughts expressed here, written after Discouraging Days of Personal Sorrow and Military Defeats, also appear in Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address of 1865.

The Will of God Prevails. In Great Contests each Party claims to Act in Accordance with the Will of God. Both may be, and One must be, Wrong. God cannot be for and against the Same Thing at the Same Time. In the present Civil War it is quite possible that God's Purpose is something different from the Purpose of either Party; and yet the Human Instrumentality, working just as they do, are of the Best Adaptation to Effect His Purpose. I am almost ready to say that this is Probably True; that God Wills this Contest, and Wills that it shall not End yet. By His mere Great Power on the Minds of the now Contestants, He could have either Saved or Destroyed the Union without a Human Contest. Yet the Contest began. And, having begun, He could give the Final Victory to either Side, any Day. Yet the Contest Proceeds.

Quotes from Heliotropium on the Divine Will

Whatever leads away from God, is Contrary to the Will of God.

So what leads us away from God? Sin leads us away from God; therefore Sin is Contrary to the Will of God.

The Will of God is most Clearly Revealed to us by the Law of God and of the Church.

This is a most Important Point. God has given us Several Laws. First is the Natural Law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments. That is followed by the Divine Law, which God has Revealed to us. Then come the Laws of the Church, which are also part of His most Holy Will. Heliotropium failed to mention that the Civil Law is also part of God's Will. The only Exception is when it is Contrary to a Higher Law. For instance a Law requiring us to Kill all Blond-haired Babies is obviously not Legitimate and to follow it would be to Sin. However, to Coast through a Stop Sign is a Violation of God's Law, for He has Inspired Man to place it there to Regulate Traffic and Prevent the Far Worse Evil of an Accident. In fact, we have recently witnessed several Stop Sign Violations, which we consider Mortally Sinful!

  We must Give Thanks, even when things are most Full of Trouble and Adversity.

You may say, wait just a minute, I must Thank God, when my house burns down? Yes, because this is Good for you. For My Thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My Ways, saith the Lord, (Isaiah 55:8). One Saint described the World as a Beautiful Tapestry that Hangs on a Wall. God sees the Front and we see the Back, which is why things just don't seem to Look Right to us. Here is where we really find out if we accept the Will of God complete, when things go Wrong, or go against our own Will!

Besides the Laws of God and of the Church, there are other Interpreters also of the Divine Will, Chiefly in Doubtful Matters.

Seek Counsel always of a Wise Man. There is a saying that he who has himself for a Doctor has a Fool; the same is said of Lawyers, Spiritual Directors, etc. You see none of us Judge-Rightly in our own case, as another saying goes: No man is a Judge in his own Cause. You see we are Prejudiced, and will take the Easier Route, even when we know that the Harder Route is Truly God's Will. And in Ecclesiasticus we read: Be continually with a Holy Man. We must seek the Counsel of others, no matter what our position is. But the Spiritual man Judgeth all things, 1Corinthians 2:15. We should not seek Counsel of the Worldly, because they will advise us on how to go to Hell. We don't need any Help in finding our way there; our own Perverse-Will will get us there. No, we must seek advice from Spiritual People, those who are well grounded in the Faith and in the Science-of-the-Saints. Although a person may have much Book Learning, if he is not practicing the Science-of-the-Saints, he may advise us Wrongly, because True Faith will lead us to Practice of the Science-of-the-Saints.

But if neither Time nor Place allow of Seeking Advice, let a Man Reason with himself and by an Easy Process he will be able in this way to Unravel every Doubt concerning Knowledge of the Divine Will.

And let us Quote some more. Let him consider carefully which of Two Things, about which he is Doubtful, is the more Pleasing to his-own Will, which is more Gratifying to his Carnal Appetite, and which is the more Desirable in his-own Estimation. When he has ascertained this, which is easily done, and has Seriously Resolved with himself to Conform his Actions as close as possible to the Divine Will, then he will Safely Choose that which is the Less Pleasing to his Will, which is the Less Gratifying to his Carnal Appetite, and which has about it Less Splendor and Show. In Isaiah we read: While thou dost not thy own ways, and thy own Will is not found, to speak a word: Then shalt thou be Delightful in the Lord, and I will lift thee up. Basically, if we Choose the Least Appealing Course, so long as it is not Sinful, then we are more Conformed to God's Will, as we quoted above, My Ways are not your ways. Therefore go not after thy own Lusts, but turn away from thy own Will.

It is the custom of the Saints, (and we are all called to be Saints) in all Doubtful Cares and Perplexities, to take Refuge in the Safeguard of Prayer, as of old Moses and Aaron did in the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

Saul, when he was knocked off his horse, asked God, Who knocked him off: Lord what wilt Thou have me do? This is what we do in Prayer; we ask God what He wants us to do. We ask Him to Enlighten our Minds so that we can make a Good Decision. Saint Ignatius gives an Exercise for Meditation before any Major Decision. Basically we Meditate on the Decision, and the Options, and determine which is most Pleasing to God; which Decision is most likely to lead us to Heaven. Nothing else matters!

  No one discovers the Divine Will with Greater Certainty than he, who with Entire Sincerity, desires to Conform himself to it in all things.

This sounds simple, because it is. We must want to Conform ourselves completely to God's Will. Just as we are far more Intelligent than an Ant, God is a Trillion Times more Intelligent than we are, and even this is not a large enough difference to compare. And so let us examine to see if we are Truly Conforming ourselves to God's Will.

How do we know that we are Truly Doing God's Will? Well there are Several Signs that show whether we are doing His Will or not. Obviously, if we are doing our Will in Sinning, we are not doing God's Will. But some even don't get this straight in their heads. Sin, all Sin, Mortal or Venial, is against God's Will. Sounds simple. Then why are we still Attached to Sin? We do Commit Venial Sin, as if It were nothing, when It is the Second Worst Evil on Earth and One (1) of only Three (3) Things that are truly Evil on Earth! And what are the Three (3) Evils on Earth? Mortal Sin is the Worst Evil; Venial Sin ranks Second and Venial Faults rank Third. If something is not one of These, then it is not Evil, no matter how Evil we may think it is.

To desire to do all things at the Bidding of the Divine Will, and, therefore, to set about nothing without first Imploring the Divine Aid. He who truly follows the Will of God takes no business in hand without first asking God to be his Helper.

We should put every Project of ours, large or small, in God's Hands by Prayer.

It is a Mark of True Devotion towards the Divine Will, not merely not to shrink from Sorrows and Calamities when they are present, but willingly to seek them when they are absent, and for this reason, because God is far nearer by His Grace to those who are afflicted in various ways, than to those who enjoy uninterrupted prosperity.

One of the Saints remarked, that if he stopped having Troubles, he would Worry that he had somehow displeased God! Saint Augustine tells us that the only way we can know if we are Attached to Material Goods is by how we react, when they are taken away. If we react badly, then Material Goods Rule us and we are too Attached to them. However, if we can say with Job: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, then we are Conformed to the Will of God. Soon we may find out whether we are Truly Conformed to God's Will or to our own!

The greatest possible Distrust of Self. He who distrusts himself ascribes even his most Prosperous Successes not to his own Strength or Diligence, but entirely to the Divine Power and Goodness.

If we were to praise the computer, when a new Program runs perfectly, the Programmer would be angry with us. He knows that it is not the computer that is running well, but the Program he created. Likewise it is God Who is the Author of our Successes; we are merely an Instrument. Do we praise the Hammer or the Carpenter for the House that was just completed?

Most complete Trust in God.

Do we really Trust God? What about when everything goes Wrong? God has allowed this to happen to us for a reason. As the old man said: If you learn more by your failures than your successes, then I must be a genius. God often teaches us by Adversity. God allows these things to happen to us for a reason, which often only He knows. Sometimes the reason becomes clear to us; sometimes not.

To be able to Endure all things in Noble Silence.

This is a Simple Sign of Conformity to the Will of God, but probably the most Difficult. The Author of Heliotropium bids us to consider Jesus and how Humble and Silent He was, and He put-up with a Trillion Times more than we can bear!

To attempt for the Honor of God things which are Difficult, and which are supposed to be scarcely possible.

We must be ready to move mountains for God. We must be ready to convert Nations, if this is His Will. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). The first mountain we must remove is our own Will. This may be a large task, but the Victory is Certain, if we Conform our Will to God's.

Meditate

We must Meditate in order to Know and Understand God's Will for us. To gain Heaven we must Meditate. Some say Meditation is reserved for Priests, Monks and Nuns. But Meditation is for everyone who wants to go to Heaven. It is that simple. If we Meditate, then we are well on the Road to Conformity to God's Will, if we do not Meditate, then we will end up with the rest of those who refused to Meditate, Roasting for Eternity in Hell!

Prayer of Consecration to the Divine Will

Oh Adorable and Divine Will, behold me here before the Immensity of Your Light, that Your Eternal Goodness may open to me the doors and make me enter into It to form my life all in You, Divine Will. Therefore, oh Adorable Will, I prostrate before Your Light, I, the least of all creatures, put myself into the little group of the sons and daughters of Your Supreme FIAT. Prostrate in my nothingness, I invoke Your Light and beg that It clothe me and eclipse all that does not pertain to You, Divine Will. It will be my Life, the center of my Intelligence, the Enrapturer of my Heart and of my whole being. I do not want the Human Will to have life in this Heart any longer. I will cast it away from me and thus form the new Eden of Peace, of Happiness and of Love. With It I shall be always happy. I shall have a singular Strength and a Holiness that Sanctifies all things and conducts them to God.

Here prostrate, I invoke the Help of the Most Holy Trinity, that They permit me to live in the Cloister of the Divine Will and thus return in me the First Order of Creation, just as the Creature was created.

Heavenly Mother, Sovereign and Queen of the Divine Fiat, take my hand and introduce me into the Light of the Divine Will. You will be my guide, my most tender Mother, and will teach me to live in and to maintain myself in the Order and the Bounds of the Divine Will. Heavenly Mother, I Consecrate my whole being to Your Immaculate Heart. You will teach me the Doctrine of the Divine Will and I will listen most attentively to Your Lessons. You will cover me with Your Mantle so that the Infernal Serpent dare not penetrate into this Sacred Eden to entice me and make me fall into the maze of the Human Will.

Heart of my greatest Good, Jesus, You will give me Your Flames that They may Burn me, Consume me, and Feed me to form in me the Life of the Divine Will.

Saint Joseph, you will be my Protector, the Guardian of my Heart, and will keep the Keys of my Will in your hands. You will keep my Heart jealously and shall never give it to me again, that I may be sure of never leaving the Will of God.

My Guardian Angel, guard me; defend me; help me in everything so that my Eden may Flourish and be the Instrument that draws all Men into the Kingdom of the Divine Will.

Amen.

Offering of One’s Own Life to the Will of God at the Moment of Death

My sweet Jesus, I want to Die in Your Will; I Unite my Agony to Yours, and may Your Agony be my Strength, my Defense, my Light and the sweet Smile of Your Forgiveness.

I place my last breath in Your Last Breath, which You gave for me on the Cross, so that I may present myself before You with the Merits of Your Own Death. And since You Died for all, I too, Dying in Your Will, will be able to Die for all, and Renew the Effects of Your Own Death, especially for those who Expire with me - yes, I want to bring with me the Court of Souls.

Please, O my Jesus, open the Heavens for me, and come toward me to receive me with the same Love with which Your Father received You, when You breathed Your last on the Cross; then, bring me with You into Heaven, holding me tightly in Your Arms; and I will kiss You and kiss You over and over again, and Delight Eternally in You.

My Mother, Angels and Saints, come to my assistance, as you were present at the Death of Jesus: Help me, Defend me, and Bring me to Heaven.

Amen

Offering of the Human Will to the Celestial Queen

Sweetest Mother, here I am prostrate before Your Throne. I am Your little child who wants to give You all my Filial Love; and, as Your child, I want to interlace all the little flowers, the exclamations, my promises that I have made so many times in this month of Graces of no longer doing my Will; and forming a crown, I want to put it in Your lap as proof of Love and Thanksgiving to my Mother.

But that is not enough; I want You to take it in Your Hands as a sign that You accept my Gift; and at the touch of Your Maternal Fingers convert it for me into so many suns, at least for as many times as I have sought to do the Divine Will in my little Acts.

Ah, yes, Queen Mother, Your child wants to give You the Homage's of Light and of most Refulgent Suns. I know that You have so many of these Suns, but they are not the Suns of Your child. Indeed, I want to give You mine in order to tell You that I Love You and to engage You to Love me. Holy Mother, You smile at me and in all Goodness You accept my Gift; and I thank You Heartily. But I want to say so many things to You; I want to enclose my Pains, my Fears, my Weaknesses and all my Being in Your Maternal Heart as in a Place of Refuge for me. I want to Consecrate my Will to You. Ah, O my Mother, accept it; make it a Triumph of Grace and a Field where the Divine Will may extend Its Kingdom! Thus my Will, Consecrated to You, will make us Inseparable and will keep us in Continual Rapport. The Doors of Heaven will not be closed to me because, having Consecrated my Will to You, You will give me Yours in exchange. So, O my Mother, come to be with Your child on earth; and the child will go to live with its Mother in Heaven. Oh, how happy I will be!

Listen, dearest Mother, to make the Consecration of my Will to You more Solemn, I call the Most Holy Trinity, all the Angels, all the Saints; and, before all, I Profess and I Swear of making a Solemn Consecration of my Will to my Heavenly Mother.

And now, Sovereign Queen, in conclusion I ask You for Your Holy Blessing for me and for everyone. May Your Blessing be the Celestial Dew which descends upon Sinners and Converts them, covers the Afflicted and Consoles them, descends upon the entire world and transforms it into Good, descends over the Purging Souls and Smothers the Fire which burns them. May Your Blessing be the Pledge of Salvation for all Souls.

Amen.

Litany of the Divine Will

Father, in Your Will	Illuminate us	Divine Will, Operating Part in the Trinity	Your Kingdom come
Son, in Your Will	Transform us	Divine Will, Star that Reflects the Divinity	"
Holy Spirit, in Your Will	Sanctify us	FIAT Divine, Order of Creation	"
Divine Will, Luminous Beacon of the Father	Your Kingdom come	FIAT Reigning in Peaceful Souls	Your Kingdom come
Divine Will, Redemptive Beacon of the Son	"	FIAT, Redemptive with the Descent of the Word	"
Divine Will, Sanctifying Beacon of the Holy Spirit	"	FIAT, Triumphant in the Virgin Mary	"
Creating FIAT, Support of Creation	"	FIAT, Speaking in all Creation	"
Redeeming FIAT, in Jesus our Salvation	Your Kingdom come	FIAT, Operating in the Silence of Hearts	Your Kingdom come
Sanctifying FIAT, that Molds us in the Sanctity of the Trinity	"	Divine Will, Star of the Divinity	"
Supreme FIAT, that Transforms the Human into Divine	"	Divine Will, Model of the Supreme Being	"
Conquering FIAT, that Captivates the Human Will	"	Divine Will, Dispenser of the Divine Attributes	"
Divine FIAT, that Reunites the Divinity with Humanity	Your Kingdom come	Divine Will, Divine Echo of all Creation	Your Kingdom come
Divine Will, Transformer of Hearts	"	Divine Will, Tabernacle of Mary Most Holy	"
Divine Will, Depository of the Divine Will in Souls	"	Divine Will, Mirror of Divine Sanctity	"
Divine Will, Invincible Strength	Your Kingdom come	Most Holy Trinity, Font of Unity	Your Kingdom come
Divine Will, Light of Humanity	"	Most Holy Trinity, Essence of Sanctity	"
		Most Holy Trinity, Perfect Union of Will	"

Pray for us Queen of the Divine Volition so that the
Divine Will can Reign on Earth as [It does] in Heaven.

Say an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory-be for the Intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.