A wise, intelligent, and devout young man listened to a sermon about holy surrender and was deeply impressed when he learned about the spiritual and bodily benefits enjoyed by those who practice it.
He reflected a lot and finally decided to seek out his spiritual director, a very honest, wise, and well-prepared man in matters of faith. So he did, and he asked him to be patient with him and explain everything he knew about holy surrender.
His spiritual director was a very kind and courteous man; he received him with much affection, and when he heard his request, he said he was willing to explain everything he had read, heard, and learned about this topic.
The directee was very happy and asked for his permission to write down everything he told him, so as not to forget such a valuable teaching.
The director agreed, and they decided to start meeting; the director dictating and the directee writing.
L-Abbandun Totali (Total Surrender) by St George Preca is a good read for those eager to deepen their relationship with God and entrust themselves to his guidance.
Reflection number 36 from L-Abbandun Totali (Total Surrender):
The Lord’s Prayer and Holy Abandonment
Godson, when our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray to God, our true Father, he understood that we must seek His glory and the peace of our hearts. Do you believe that if we did not say to God “thy will be done,” what He wants would not be fulfilled, since He is the owner and absolute Lord of heaven and earth?
We can always resist the will of God, but only with our own will, because not even a leaf moves without His physical help. So when we ask Him “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are begging for the help of His grace so that, through perfect obedience to His commandments, we may fulfill His will; and also so that in the events He arranges for us in His providence, we may unite more perfectly with what He wants.
In short, Jesus Christ has shown us that He wants us to practice holy abandonment in the lap of our blessed God so that we may enjoy true peace of heart, keeping within us a good will united to the will of God. Let us remember that the angels sang at His birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).
Jesus Christ also wanted to show us that we must give glory to God, especially in spirit and in truth. In fact, when we fulfill the will of God, we recognize Him as our absolute Lord, and at the same time we thank Him for all the good He grants us every day.
Undoubtedly, with this attitude we please Him; as a consequence, He will always be with us and will never abandon us, because we are fulfilling His will, submissive to His Divine Majesty with a spirit of true worship. There is no true worship when there is resistance to His divine will. In fact, whoever resists does not recognize God’s authority, but rather places their own will above His, and in doing so, despises their Lord. Saint Augustine affirmed: “Do you want to know who your God is? Look at what you love: that which you love, is your God.” Whoever resists would be hating Him.
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How is the will of God fulfilled in heaven? It is fulfilled with perfect love on the part of the angels, His ministers.
Whoever fulfills the will of God, moved by holy fear, would be giving Him true glory; but whoever is moved by love would be fulfilling the will of God perfectly, because perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). So you would be fulfilling the divine will on earth and expressing the desire to see it fulfilled by all in the same way that the angels fulfill it in heaven.
We read in the Gospel that the devil promised Christ all the kingdoms of the world if He would kneel before him and worship him. Faced with such a proposal, Jesus immediately dismissed him and said, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'” (Matthew 4:8-9).
Therefore, when we say to God in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we would truly be pleasing Him. However, it is only during the trial and in the moment of temptation that we manifest whether we have sincerely desired to perform this worship with true spirit.
This is enough for today, and in the next meeting, if the Lord God wills, I will dictate to you and show you that love is the only step that leads to holy abandonment.
