March 6, 2021

ReBlog: If God is With You, Who Can Stand in Your Way?

ReBlog: If God is With You, Who Can Stand in Your Way?

Have you heard of the famous 90s song of Rick Price “Heaven Knows”?

The first stanza of the song goes:

“She's always on my mind

From the time I wake up 'til I close my eyes

She's everywhere I go She's all I know...”

Replace the word ‘‘She” with “God” and it sums up the life of St. Colette.

From a young age, she lost herself in prayer and in compassion for the poor.

Orphaned at 17, Colette distributed all her possessions to the poor and at 22, she became an abbess.

Colette lived the next 4 years in a small cell whose only view was a small window pointed towards the Blessed Sacrament.

Soon it became clear that God was calling this young woman to re-introduce the original strict observance of the rule of St. Clare among the Poor Clares.

Did she obey immediately?

No, she resisted it at first, thinking it was a diabolical temptation. Soon she was struck dumb and blind.

Like St. Paul, Colette finally said yes to this difficult task, saying “From this moment on, dearest Lord, there is nothing which I am not prepared to undertake for love of you.”

She endured all hardships in fulfilling what she discerned to be a command from heaven.

At 25, Colette started founding 17 monasteries under the original rule of St. Clare — something next to impossible, considering how many people opposed her.

But when God wants it, nothing can stand in His way. Despite experiencing divine favors like the appearance of a relic of a True Cross and a ring placed on her finger by St. John the Apostle in a vision, Colette never wanted attention for herself, ever focused on bringing souls to Jesus.

St. Colette’s life embodies the verse John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Heaven knows us.

God knows us.

The question is: Do we know heaven? Have we spent enough time to know and hear God’s direction?

May we like St. Colette, always be directed heavenward in how we live our lives — no matter how challenging.

St. Colette, pray for us

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

- How do I know if it is God speaking to me and not my pride?

- How is God calling me to decrease so that God’s presence in my life can increase?

ACTION STEP:

- During your prayer time, think about some of your most serious questions in life. The next time you go for confession, ask the priest if he’s open to giving you spiritual direction after and ask him for advice.

 

References:

https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/st-colette-de... https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of.../saint-colette

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