Many people that I meet are very desirous of finding out what God wants of them and then doing it. The problem sometimes is knowing exactly what God does want.

    When I was 28 years old, I asked a very elderly and wise Jesuit how I could know God’s Will between good things. That is, we all know that by keeping the Ten Commandments, we are doing the Will of God. Additionally, for Religious, to observe the Rule and the Evangelical Counsels is doing the Will of God.

    But how do we determine the Will of God in matters that are not so clear? For example, if I had a choice of making a retreat in Council Bluffs, Iowa or Omaha, NE (just across the river), how do I know what God wants me to do? If I need to purchase a piece of office equipment or hire a new employee, should I try to discern the Will of God in these needs? Does God even care one way or the other what I choose?

    Because of their love for God, the saints wanted to do the Will of God in every aspect of their lives. I remember the Little Flower, St. Therese, once said that picking up a pin with love for God can save a thousand souls. (It is God’s Will that we work to save souls as evidence of His desire for souls by the laying down of His own life.)

    Sister Faustina, while sewing, asked Jesus to save a thousand souls for each stitch she made. Jesus replied to her that she was asking for a lot. The saint continued to petition and beg Jesus. The Lord relented and granted her wish.

    So how did the saints and how can we know God’s Will in everything we do?

    The elderly Jesuit gave me an answer that is very Ignatian. (St. Ignatius founded the Jesuit Community.)

    The priest said: “Weigh the pros and cons!”

    That’s right, dear reader! God wants us to use our heads. He wants us to use our intellect, the mind that He gave us, even if it means that we sit down with paper and pen and write down our thoughts, the pros and the cons.

    And, yes, God does care about every hair that falls from our heads. He cares about every “little” thing in our lives. When you love someone very much, everything that affects them is something about which you care, as well. God loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.

    When confronted with a matter that requires discerning, let us first ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. (I often sit down to write these weekly articles not knowing about what to write. After praying to the Holy Spirit, a subject comes to mind, as in this article.)

    We will arrive in Heaven, not by doing our own will, but by seeking and doing the Will of God IN ALL THINGS.

    But prayer is essential in that discernment. As soon as you call His Name, His ear is pressed to your lips to listen.

    God bless you!

Sister Mary Lucy Astuto

July 28-30, 2000
volume 11, no. 127
Sr. Lucy's GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER column

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