Meditations

Adult Education - About God's Will

Would it be valid to espouse that having or experiencing the 'ultimate truth' would be to die and subsequently spend eternity with God in heaven? That, regardless of one's life experience and circumstances, if his or her eternity is heaven, then all else is behind them? That, even though there are heavenly crowns and rewards, being in heaven, is the basic attainment or truth!

The Scriptures often use references or analogies of death to teach or illustrate a point, e.g., the silo that fell on twelve people, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, the great flood. Reflect on this scenario. Suppose 500 typical people are gathered at Mass and an earthquake suddenly struck and destroyed the building, killing all 500 people. Would or could any of us speculate or judge as to whether all 500 would spend eternity in heaven, or even as to what percentage might not? Could we, as Priest or lay, shepherd or neighbor, simply assume that_~ they, by virtue of physically attending Mass and, either actively or passively proclaiming their belief, that they are probably qualified for heaven? OR, looking into our own hearts, would we imagine that others may well be of our own human estate and condition and be in need of confession, contrition, and forgiveness.

One of the points is that "Status Quo", that is that things are acceptable as they are and there is no need for change or Spiritual growth, is not an acceptable option. Refer to Matthew 13:2-12, where Jesus used a parable of the seed being sowed. Our Parishes can be similarly viewed. Does it follow that the good ground are those who continually seek God's will, to understand it and follow it? Would the good ground necessarily be 'prepared ground., E.g., Baptism, spiritual upbringing, etc.? Or, by the grace of God, can any ground be or become receptive? The sower in the parable recognized that there were different levels of receptivity within his fields. Since he could not pinpoint the good ground, nor spread the seed in small isolated areas, he planted the whole field. He realized that by sowing the whole field, he would also sow ALL of the good ground! The fruitfulness of the good ground would produce enough results to outweigh the 'wasted seed' on the unproductive ground.’ Are not our parishes made up of wayside ground, rocky ground, thorny ground and good ground? Or, by virtue of our Baptism, are we all receptive ground, but in need of nurturing and fertilizing? Ref: Luke 13:6-10. Does any analogy fit the obviously differing extents of the spiritual growth within the parish when trying to construct an Adult Education program?

The first group of parishioners that we might consider is the senior members. The senior members as a whole cannot absorb the scope of actively seeking God's will. For the most part, they are in a coasting mode, and might be described as resting in His Love, with a comfortable prayer regimen and trust.

The second group is the adults whose nests have been cleared, but also includes those who may have chosen a single life style. For the most part, these would seem to be receptive ground. They have regular church participation, and varying degrees of familiarity and knowledge of the spiritual aspects of faith and worship. These probably could commit time' and energies toward enriching their spiritual life and enhancing and perfecting their relationship with God. These also are in the period of greatest opportunity to use the gifts God gives them to serve and grow the Kingdom.

The third group is the parents of ‘at home’ children whose priority is the raising of their children in the faith. This includes teaching, example, counseling and nurturing. It follows that these can only give and convey that which they themselves have. If their faith is strong and well grounded, their children obviously have a greater chance of becoming good ground themselves. Whatever is asked in the way of time and commitment of these parents has to recognize the child-parents priorities and demands on that time. A genuine desire to find God's will as individuals and family becomes a necessity and surely must be provided for in God's plan to sow seed in this ground.

The fourth group is the young adults and not yet married who probably are in the best position to focus on God's will -- and probably have the most urgent need. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and then these other things will follow" should be their 'Banner Motto'.

Having identified the various groups, is there any one topic that would encompass almost all of the facets of all of the levels of a Godly life? Answer. Yes, God's Will!

In order to live in and according to God's Will, some basic truths have to be acknowledged and accepted: God is certainly able to communicate His will to each person. He has provided the means to know His Will, first, through His Son, Jesus, becoming man, then through apostles and prophets, next through the Scriptures, thence through His Church, and lastly by His direct action of His Holy Spirit in our hearts. God's Will encompasses the universe and everything within the universe (...Not a sparrow nor a hair). He is the God of nature (even the seas and the winds obey Him). God is a God of order. Even the universe and the heavens are knowable and predictable by virtue of God's order.

There is an unavoidable axiom regarding God's Will -- The man of God, acting in a specific instance of the Will of God, is immortal. Immortal in this case means that if God wants someone to complete a specific task, death cannot swallow the man up until it is completed. God's job or overall plan for each person cannot be cut short by circumstances which God has not already foreseen and has designated as our span of life. He gives us the time to accomplish His particular plan for each one of us. As long as we are within that plan, we will not die. We are immortal (free from physical death) until His plan for us is completed.

To begin our journey, we can use an umbrella statement which totally sets out God's Will for each person on an individual basis: From the Catechism, and as sifted through Scripture: Why did God make us? What was His purpose, His Will? To know Him, to love Him, to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him in the next! Keep in mind that every person has a different capacity, and a different inclination to learn anything (including God's Will), and then a different motivation and personal degree of commitment to follow what one has come to know about God's Will. But, God's plan will accommodate every sincere searching person. Ref: "Seek and you shall find, Knock and it shall be opened, ask and it will be given."

There is yet another facet to God's Will that becomes necessary to grasp. Although God has a perfect plan for each individual, His perfect love releases each person to form and follow his or her own plan, including the many directions and changes we initiate or revert to over the course of our lifetime. This is God's gift of free will to each person. Essentially, this means that, even though God's perfect will does not contain any sin or deviation from His Will, He wills to permit evil and sin and disobedience to His Will. He wills to allow man to reject knowing Him, fail to love Him': and to turn from serving Him. The existence of undesirable or ungodly actions and/or the subsequent results are referred to as 'God's permissive will'.

How can we know God's Will? We can know about God's Will by learning about God! There are two aspects to 'knowing', and they are complimentary: they go hand in hand. As we hear about Him, we are motivated to actually experience Him. When we hear about His love, we seek to be touched by His love. E.g., we pray for physical, emotional and spiritual healing. St. Jerome said, "To be ignorant of the Scripture, is to be ignorant of Christ." Would it not be easy to love a God who can and does respond to our needs? And finally, when we love God by knowing and experiencing the fullness of His love, would we not be constrained to love Him with all of our heart? This means knowing and understanding and following His perfect and beautiful Will, no matter what our stage or station in life.