| Give Us Understanding To See God’s Goodness |
This week we will revisit St. Francis’ letters. Here we read a letter to Mere de Chantal at Paris, written from Annecy on 15 June 1620.For context, it will help to know that it was customary in the Visitation to draw lots at Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) for the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Mother Chantal had written from Paris on 7 June 1620: “Divine Providence has decided on the gift of understanding for you this year . . . counsel fell to my lot.” (Works, Vol. 4, p. 423.)To prepare for our chat on Sunday, please read the letter, which is reproduced below, and review the questions at the end.Click for Living Jesus Chatroom  Photo by Carlo Alberto Burato on UnsplashO that I may receive and use the gift of understanding as I ought, my very dear Mother, so as to get a clearer and deeper insight into the holy mysteries of our faith! For this intelligence has a marvelous power to subject the will to God’s service; our understanding is committed to him and plunged in him, recognizing him as wonderfully and perfectly good. And as the mind ceases to think anything else good in comparison with this Goodness, so too the will can no longer desire or love any goodness in comparison with this Goodness, even as when our eyes look deep into the sun we can no longer see any other light. But because we can only show our love in this world by doing good, because our love must act in some way, as I shall say in my sermon tomorrow, please God, we need counsel so as to see what we ought to do to put this love which presses us into practice; for it is heavenly love itself which urges us on to do good. And the Holy Ghost gives us his gift of counsel so that we may find out how to do good, which good to choose and in what way to express our love in action. So we can say that our soul shares in good measure in heaven’s sacred gifts. May the Holy Ghost show us favor and ever be our consolation. My soul and spirit adore him for all eternity! I entreat him always to be our wisdom and our understanding, our counsel, our fortitude, our knowledge, our piety; and may he fill us with the spirit of the fear of the eternal Father.The holy feast of Whitsun for which you have such a very special devotion did not pass without constant remembrance of you. Reflections:How does the gift of understanding help us submit to God’s will?How does our will become transformed as a result?What is the difference between wisdom, knowledge, and understanding?What does it mean that “our love must act in some way”?Discuss the interrelationship between understanding and counsel.How can we be more receptive to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?Concerning the custom of drawing lots for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, how can we put this custom into practice for our own families? Or can we think of similar customs for other feast days or saints’ days? |