Walking with Pope St. John XXIII - Lord, May Your Will be Done

The Will of God, for me, is to do His work.  We are each called whether in great ways or small, to do His Will.  Even Jesus acknowledged that he was sent to do the Father's Will, not just his own (John 6:30)

To follow His Will is to love. How imperfect our love and actions are when we stumble in our efforts.  But, we are human; how could we not stumble?  Fear, the great weapon of Satan, is always there waiting to block our efforts to serve.  Prayer, only prayer and communion with He who loves us without restriction can help us to overcome and defeat Fear.

When we feed on the food of God (John 4:34) we consume the food which is His Love and Will.  Our work, however small, is complete and completed when we do the work in God's name.

A recent viewing of the movie "Of Gods and Men" is the perfect illustration of men called to serve in a way that might end in their deaths.  They struggled with their personal fears privately, with each other, and they prayed, at times desperately.  They had no way of knowing their fate but they suspected and then accepted the Will of God.  With acceptance came peace.  They trusted in His love to sustain them as they continued to obey His Will and serve.

Not all of us will  be called to martyrdom but each act of service teaches us more of love and God's Will for us.  And, we are strengthened.  With this strength, we are enabled to follow in Jesus' footsteps to the knee of God, the Father of us all.

In the words of John XXIII, from his diary in 1947, we read, " . . . liv(ing) in continual obedience gives me courage and dispels my fears".

Dear Father,

Help me to greet each day without fear and with the expectation that you will show me opportunities to serve others in your name.  Amen.