The essence of perfection is to embrace the will of God in all things. In prosperity, even sinners find it easy to unite themselves to the divine will; but it takes saints to unite themselves to God's will when things go wrong.
"One 'Blessed be God' in times of adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity."
Anyone praises when the sun shines. But the soul that says "blessed be God" when the pressure mounts, when the old nature pulls — that single word outweighs a thousand comfortable thank-yous. Sainthood is not the absence of adversity. It is the presence of "blessed be God" inside it.
We must unite ourselves to God's will not only in things from his hands — but likewise in those we suffer from man: contempt, injustice, loss of temporal goods.
Whilst God does not will the sin, he does will our humiliation, our poverty, or our mortification.
Whatever happens, happens by the will of God. Adversities are good and meritorious, when we receive them as coming from God's hands.
God did not will the movers' dishonesty. But He willed the patience, the tabernacle entered, the rat smelled, the trust learned. The sin was theirs. The lesson was His. The same adversity received with complaint is burden. Received with "blessed be God" — it is merit.
"Prosperity does not lift me up, nor adversity cast me down."
"Fully persuaded that God does all things for his glory and for our greater good; thus I am always at peace, no matter what happens."
Learned an important lesson from Liguori today. In times of adversity, to praise God is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity. My thinking was wrong.
My thinking was wrong. The most courageous words in fifty mornings. The 500 denari soul naming the debt plainly. Under pressure, the thinking defaulted to the old nature — reaction instead of praise.
Yesterday Le prayed for obedience. Today Liguori showed what obedience looks like in adversity: one "blessed be God" when everything in the soul wants to say something else.
The confession itself is the "blessed be God" that Liguori describes. The soul that names her error honestly, under pressure, with the boxes still there — she is closer to God than the comfortable soul who has never been tested. The going back is not the end. The beginning again is the grace. Blessed be God.
"One 'Blessed be God' in times of adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity."
St. John of Avila, quoted by Liguori · Caldas da Rainha · Day fifty · My thinking was wrongOne Blessed Be God
Anyone praises in prosperity. Saints praise in adversity. One word in the storm outweighs a thousand in the sunshine.
The Sin and the Will
God does not will the sin. He wills what it teaches. Received with praise, adversity becomes merit.
At Peace, No Matter What
Prosperity does not lift up, adversity does not cast down. Fully persuaded — always at peace.
My Thinking Was Wrong
The confession that corrects. The soul that names her error has already begun again. Blessed be God.