‘We need do nothing else but strive sincerely to do God’s will, and to please Him in all things’ (St. Francis of Assisi).
This is the simple advice given to us by St. Francis of Assisi, based on his own experience. This advice corresponds to the exhortation of Our Lord: ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.’ (Mt 6:33).
Before our Father, we must examine our sincerity without fear, asking ourselves if we truly seek His Will. This is necessary because any evasion leads us into a grey area. There may be situations in which we do not want to know exactly what God wants, because we fear that it may be different from what we would like. Then sincerity demands that we express this openly to our Heavenly Father, that we enter into dialogue with Him about it. God will know how to deal with our obstacles and will help us out of the darkness.
There is nothing more glorious than doing God’s will. That is why we were created, and the more we do it, the more we will awaken to our true identity and love for others. For angels, it is pure joy to do God’s will, because they love Him, are loved by Him, and are grateful to be partakers of His glory.
If the gift of piety, which was instilled in us at our baptism as one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, unfolds in us, we too will seek ever more fervently to please the Lord. And the more we love God, the easier it becomes.
Thus, the simple words of St. Francis of Assisi show us a sure path. The Holy Spirit will accompany all our efforts to advance towards this goal.