Reflections by

Larry Gillick, S.J.

Expect God to Work

Do you know what’s good for you? Knowing and then doing what we know is good for us are two distinct things.

I know that jogging is very good for my body and spirit, but going over to the recreation center is not only a good idea but also something I don’t always want to do.

Taking vitamins is good for us, the medical profession tells us. We are just beginning to believe them, but we don’t all take them all the time. We resist those activities that do not give us immediately the feedback we desire. We might begin a diet Monday morning and Tuesday morning we step lightly on the scale hoping to find less of us there. We want results and pretty darn quick!

We begin these weeks of exercising our spirits according to the pattern given by God to us through Ignatius Loyola, accompanied also by this human resistance to what is good for us.

The first guide, then, is this: do not expect, look for, or demand progress. Enjoy and live the process, even though, as with physical exercise, you might not like doing it every day. As with a diet, you might have to give something up, like time, activity, or accomplishments. We allow God to give the increase, the insights, the progress. We begin expecting God to be busy laboring on our part of creation, which we have found quite unfinished as a work of art.

This is the first guide along the way; don’t stop here; the journey is worth the expense. Go for it!