“Those who strive to live according to the truth and care little about how others treat or judge them find their serenity in God.” (Blessed Henry Suso)
When speaking of “serenity in God,” Blessed Henry Suso refers to inner peace, harmony with the divine will, and the repose of the soul in the Lord. The focus is on God, and all the powers of the soul are oriented toward the truth. In other words, it is a matter of continually seeking and fulfilling God’s will. This reminds us of Jesus’ exhortation: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Indeed, when this aspiration fills us, everything else takes second place in the hierarchy of values, giving primacy to the “one thing needful” (cf. Lk 10:41–42). Our relationships with others also change. On the one hand, we become more loving; on the other, we become freer in relation to them, since other people no longer hold a significance for us that does not rightly belong to them—one that could cause us to lose our inner freedom.
The second part of today’s phrase should be understood in this light. Focusing on our heavenly Father means we stop worrying excessively about how others will react. Praise may bring us joy, but we do not seek it. Contempt, though never pleasant, does not discourage us or cause us to hold a grudge. We simply do not concern ourselves too much with the rejection we may encounter, nor do we allow it to hinder our path.
Clearly, Blessed Henry Suso’s phrase holds true only if we sincerely follow the Lord’s way. That alone gives us enough to occupy our attention, so we need not divide it by dwelling on the judgment of others. This takes much practice, but if we ask for it, our Father will lead us toward this inner freedom.