DOING GOD'S WILL

Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will. Ps. 40

In John's Gospel 1:29-34, he gives us a confession that he did not recognize God's chosen One. "But, as I say, I did not recognize him. The one who sent me to baptize with water told me, when you see the Spirit descend and rest on someone, it is he who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen for myself and have testified, 'This is God's chosen One.' "

Who among you feels an equal to John the Baptizer? Is there no one who will raise his/her hand? What holds you back from coming forth? What an amazing piece of revelation we have here. John the Baptizer cannot recognize God's Chosen One. Wow! It is only when Jesus informs John about the Spirit descending and resting on someone, that he will be able to know.

Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will. What does God will me to do? Do we truly believe that we have come to do the Lord's will? How do you know? How can you be so sure that what you do is God's will? We are all so very busy. Our lives are so full of distraction. We exhaust ourselves in extending ourselves in the many goals we have set for ourselves to accomplish. Many of us are burnt out. Others of us are satisfied completing one task only to begin with another. How is it even possible that we take time to know the Fathers will?

Realizing our own dilemma, and realizing John's own difficulty to discern who the God's chosen One is leaves us with some real mystery. John is very important to Jesus Christ mission, but he could not recognize him as the chosen One even as Jesus stood in front of him. If John could miss recognizing this chosen One, how in God's name can we recognize God's will for us. I'm asking you this difficult question because you must ask yourself this basic question if your relationship is going to have any personal worth. Not to want to know is admission of your lack of concern to understand God's design on you.

An elderly women came to me for spiritual direction. She said,"Father, I have been reading spiritual books and lives of the saints. All of writers profess to know what God's will is for them. How come I don't know? I have been wanting to know and asking other priest to tell me what God's wants me to do? They can't help me. They leave me with no understanding of how I can find out what God wishes of me. It is frustrating me. I want to do God's will, but I don't know what it is. Do you know?"

Could you help satisify this lovely lady advanced in years and very adament to know more than ever what God's wants of her before her life is over, before it is to late to do anything because she may be incapacitiated. Her answer and yours is locked up in the experience between John and Jesus as they met each other. The secret is in their action with each other. Thank God for John who was humble enough to report his own lack of awareness in recognizing the chosen One. What happened in this story needs to happen with us. John the Baptist listened to Jesus speak to him. He LISTENED. In listening John was able to know. He thus became aware of the truth. Finally, John experienced for himself that which was told to him verifying what information he received as truly right on.

You see, if you are intent on knowing God's will for yourself you must remain quiet enough to hear the chosen One speak when the appropriate time arrives. Will you be ready to listen? It is in listening that we discover God's movement in us. Through listening we gain a sense of balance and purpose which will allow ud the opportunity to channel God's mighty energy as it flows in and through us. When our interior temple is quiet enough God will speak to us, because He will know we are ready to listen. The next most exciting thing which follows after receiving divine communication is that it can be verified. Jesus gives John verification when John finally sees with his own eyes, the Spirit descending upon Jesus. We are capable of verifying our own information from God. The divine encounter will be spiritually uplifting, it will dazzle you in a way no other information does. You will immediatley want to move to divine action. That action may initially begin with sharing your experience with someone you consider special. You might hold off telling anyone until you have soughted out the meaning better to yourself. The important thing here is you'll be directed to divine action.

Remember as I told this elderly women, no person, priest or otherwise can tell you what God's will is for you. This is your information and it is between you and the divine. To know God's will is to want to know it. The desire to know with the ability to be still and listen from within is a powerful sign that you are ready to hear the divine communication. God will disclose what you need to know and nothing will be asked of you that you can't handle with His grace. To know the will of the Father is to know the vitality of the Holy Spirit. To know the vitality of the Holy Spirit is to discover the significance of the living presence of Christ in you.

I asked you in the beginning of my talk, are you equal to John the Baptist? Not one of you raised your hand. If you understood the significance of Christ full presence in you and understood that you have been baptized in the Spirit, the same Spirit that descended upon Christ in our reading, you would have proudly raised your hand to my beginning question. You are very special sons and daughters of the Father. You are one in spirit with Him.

You have divine movement packed with divine grace surging through you. You exist before the face of God and live. Your so important that nothing but your self worth gets in the way of communicating with the greatest source of all power. You must awaken from your sleep and realize the vitality of our Heavenly Father. To the level of your awareness will all divine knowledge flow. Next time, when you pray Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will. Be sure you mean it and understand what it is your doing. Listen and be ready to make a commitment. When the commitment has been made freely on your part, you are in for some wonderful excitement as the Heavenly Father works in you through the works of the Holy Spirit.

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