My past no longer concerns me; it belongs to Divine Mercy. My future no longer concerns me; it belongs to Divine Providence. What worries and demands me is today, that belongs to God’s grace and to the surrender of my heart, of my good will” (St. Francis de Sales).
Wise is the one who puts this maxim into practice in his life, because once we have placed our past under God’s mercy, we become free. Often the enemy of humanity tries to overwhelm our soul and appears before us as an accuser. But if we have understood the immense gift that the Father offers us in His mercy and forgiveness, our soul can rise up and, forgetting what lies behind, set itself forward to what lies ahead, as St Paul so aptly puts it (Phil 3:13).
The second advice of St Francis de Sales is no less important than the first. We are often tempted to imagine the future, to construct it with our own ideas, to become absorbed in what is supposedly in front of us, which easily fills us with unnecessary worries. What St. Francis is referring to is, in particular, the habit of imagining with anxiety what might happen in the future, which binds us and robs us of the strength to trust and entrust ourselves to the gracious providence of our Father. But when we place the future in God’s hands, our freedom grows and we can concentrate on what is essential.
So it remains for us to concentrate on today – this is the day entrusted to us and it belongs to God’s grace! If we learn to perceive this grace, to be guided by it and to surrender ourselves trustingly to our Father, our life will become docile and flexible. Every day will take on a supernatural meaning, even if it is full of difficulties to be overcome. If we take to heart this advice of St Francis de Sales, we will have all the strength we need to face today and make it fruitful.