Fulfilment

Some of our problems are self-induced, such as a hangover from drunkenness, extra weight from gluttony, lack of agility from neglect of sufficient exercise, tax penalties because of procrastination, and so on. Other problems are caused by others: unhappiness in marriage due to lack of consideration or poor communication on the part of a spouse, deprivation due to being burglarized, traffic delays from an accident caused by a careless driver, emotional stress due to the surliness of a fellow employee, and so on.

In coping with both categories of adversity, God’s marvelous providence has designed a fourfold plan for our sanctification. He is fulfilled in his desire for our complete renovation, and we find consummate fulfillment in his accomplishment of that goal. For those who trustingly submit to his providence, the Lord uses each event to sanctify them by a process of informing, reforming, conforming, and transforming. These four processes were expressed in David’s prayer, couched in Psalm 143 (the so-called seventh penitential psalm). After praying for deliverance from suffering induced by others, he prays for divine guidance in solving self-induced suffering.

The core of David’s plea is in verse 8: “Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me [reforming]. . . . Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust [conforming]. Teach me the way I should go [informing]; for to you I lift up my soul. . . . You are my God. Let your good spirit lead me [transforming].”

Authentic trust is the readiness to open the door immediately to Jesus when he knocks (see Rv 3:20), and to learn to hear that knock when it is a barely discernible tapping; it is to know that his whispered call expresses his gentle desire to enter more deeply into our hearts. We must trust in him boundlessly to inform, reform, conform, and transform our souls; he knows all the shortcuts to our most fulfilling fulfillment--our holiness.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.