In today’s gospel Jesus says that anyone who does the will of God His Father becomes  not only His disciple, but also His brother and sister and mother.

What is the will of God?  The will of God is what He wants for our fulfillment and  happiness.  Ultimately Gods’ will is for us to come to the happiness of heaven.   It is His plan to help us achieve our ultimate purpose of life.

On the one hand, whatever fits in with His designs for us can be called the will of God.  This would include getting what  we need for our physical, emotional and spiritual well being.

On the other hand, whatever interferes with His plans for us is not part of the will of God.  This would include anything that deprives us of our basic necessities, impedes our growth as persons or harms us spiritually.

In our life we sometimes have accidents, tragedies and misfortunes.  They are not part of God’s will since they produce so much pain and sorrow for us.  However,  even though they are evils, they can still be used by God to bring about some good that does fit into His plan for us.

There are certain things in our lives that are already determined by God’s will, we do not have any choice about them.  This would include things like being born, being redeemed and being destined to die one day.  There are also things about our lives yet to be determined.  With these we do have a say.  This would include things like vocation decisions, career choices and lifestyle preferences.

As disciples of the Lord, we sometimes have to surrender with faith our own desires to His demands.  But in doing so, what we gain far surpasses what we give up.

Doing God’s will can never diminish or impoverish us.  On the contrary, it will enlarge and enrich us.  Doing God’s will may be difficult at times, but it will always draw us into a deeper relationship with Jesus as His disciples and as His brothers and sisters.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell