One of the greatest gifts we can give to our Divine Lord is our willfulness. We often want what we want, when we want it. Our will can become stubborn and obstinate and this can easily dominate our whole being. As a result of this sinful tendency toward willfulness, one thing that delights our Lord greatly, and produces an abundance of grace in our lives, is an interior obedience to that which we do not want to do. This interior obedience, even to the smallest of things, mortifies our will so that we are made free to more completely obey the glorious Will of God (See Diary #365).

What do you want with a passion? More specifically, what do you cling to in an obstinate way with your own will? There are many things we want that could easily be given up as a sacrifice for God. It may not be that the thing we desire is evil; rather, it’s that letting go of our interior desires and preferences change us and dispose us to be more receptive to all that God wishes to bestow upon us.

Lord, help me to make my one desire that of perfect obedience to You in all things. May I cling to Your Will for my life in both great and small things. May I find in this submission of my will the great joy that comes from a heart fully submissive and obedient to You. Jesus, I trust in You.

40 Days at the Foot of the Cross—Reflection Twenty-Seven – Humiliation – Stripped of Garments

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Image: Saint Thecla Praying for the Plague-Stricken, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo