THE OPTIMISM, SERENITY AND JOY OF GOD’S CHILDREN.

Our trust in God will never be deceived, for we are his children. No matter what happens in our lives, God remains our Father. He loves us without limit and counts on our wretchedness to help make us holy, if we struggle.

Your prayer went like this: “My wretchedness weighs me down, but it doesn’t overwhelm me because I am a son of God. I want to atone, to Love… And,” you added, “like St Paul, I want to turn my weaknesses to good use, convinced that our Lord will not abandon those who place their trust in him.” “Carry on like that. I assure you that – with God’s grace – you will succeed, and you will overcome your wretchedness and your shortcomings.” St. Josemaria.

We are God’s children: nothing can give us greater security in good times and in bad.

Don’t be afraid of anything or anyone, St. Josemaria stressed: nor of God who is our Father. Nolite timere eos qui occidunt corpus, animam autem non possunt occidere; don’t fear those who can kill your body, who can harm you on earth, but cannot kill your soul.

Divine filiation makes us secure, completely at peace. Nothing, not even our seemingly insurmountable defects, should upset us.

Be optimistic, St. Josemaria continued, see the hand of God behind every person and event: vigilemus et sobrii simus,may we be vigilant and temperate. Remember what our Lord said: Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes et simplices sicut columbae. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Our optimism stems from knowing that God is watching over us. But far from closing our eyes to reality, we are led to face the obstacles in our path squarely. We see circumstances and events in the light of faith, as they really are.

Divine filiation moves us to work hard, to exercise prudence, to look for the best way to overcome difficulties. This is the attitude of the children of God in his Work: to be conscientious, responsible, striving to fulfil God’s will in everything. At the same time, we feel secure and serene because what moves us is love for the will of our Father God.

Serenity, joy: characteristics of God’s children.

Rest, my children, in your divine filiation. God is a Father, full of tenderness and infinite love. Often call him Father, and tell him, when you are alone with him, that you love him, that you love him greatly; that you feel the pride and strength of being his children.

St. Josemaria wanted us to consider our divine filiation frequently every day, so that we practise the spirit of the Work well, which is a guarantee of our serenity and effectiveness. The fact that we are God’s children should fill us with peace and calm in the midst of our struggle. It should eventually fill every corner of our lives, like water soaking into the ground.
We need to sense firmly that we are children of God, small children who seek out our Father God both in happy and in trying moments. When the sun scatters the clouds and we discover a new Mediterranean: “Thank you, Lord!” And if we meet the Cross in our life: “Thank you for this too!” For Christ, our elder Brother, is there, and the holy Cross makes us stronger children of our Father in heaven.

St. Josemaria told us several times that the precise moment in which God wanted us to feel in a very special way that we were his children took place in circumstances when the Father was undergoing serious difficulties.

When God sent me those blows around the year 1931, I didn’t understand… Then all at once in the midst of such great bitterness came those words: You are my son, you are Christ. And I could only repeat: Abba, Pater! Abba, Pater! Abba! Abba! Abba! Now I see it with new light, like a new discovery, just as one sees, after years have passed, the hand of God, of divine Wisdom, of the All-powerful. You’ve led me, Lord, to understand that to have the Cross is to find happiness, joy. And I see the reason with greater clarity than ever: to have the Cross is to be identified with Christ, to be Christ, and therefore to be a son of God…
Lord, I ask your Mother, St Joseph our Patron, and my ministerial Archangel, to pray that I and my children may always have this spirit. Ne respicias peccata mea, sed fidem (look not on my sins, but on my faith).May this faith, this light, this love for the Cross be ours till death! This divine light leads us always to understand clearly that it’s worthwhile nailing ourselves to the Cross, since it means entering into Life, drinking in the Life of Christ. The Cross: Christ is there, and you have to lose yourself in him! Then there will be no more sorrow, no more suffering. You mustn’t say: Lord, I can’t do any more, for I’m so wretched… No! It’s not true! On the Cross, you will be Christ, and you will sense you are a child of God. And you will exclaim: Abba, Pater! What happiness it is to find you, Lord!
Serenity, joy. For the Almighty is our Father, and God’s Mother is also ours. There is no heart more human than that of a person overflowing with supernatural sense. Think of Holy Mary, who is full of grace, Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Her heart has room for all humanity and makes no distinction or discrimination. Every person is her son or her daughter.

Excerpt from the Book of Meditations (private collection)

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