“If you conform to God’s plans, He will make a saint of you.” (St. Paul of the Cross)
So it really isn’t that hard, dear Father, if St. Paul of the Cross tells us so. He must have known. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matt. 6:33) So it is written in Holy Scripture through the mouth of Your Son. So, dear Father, You have a plan for our lives. Then we don’t really need to make our own plans; we just need to follow You. What a burden that saves us from— all those plans and considerations that we often discard, or that don’t quite come to fruition, or even turn into illusions. Perhaps they do come to fruition, but they don’t deliver what they promise because they aren’t Your plans for us.
Let’s try a different approach. What are Your plans for us, dear Father? Teach us to listen to You and to recognize them. Now something is changing. We have let You more deeply into our lives. The more we continue down this path, the better we understand You. We lay our own ideas before You—that is, we do not dispose of them ourselves, but rather, we listen to You.
And once we have begun, it continues. We notice that everything is becoming much clearer; we perceive Your loving hand and gracious providence more distinctly. Everything takes on a deeper meaning. Thus we become ever more willing to follow Your will, whatever it may be, and love You more and more.
And, beloved Father, I almost forgot: You have led us, almost imperceptibly, onto the path of holiness. Please lead us to a good end.