Quod omnis sollicitudo in Deo ponenda est.
God Knows What Is Best
Christ reminds the disciple that divine wisdom surpasses human understanding.
Son, let me act with you as I wish: I know what's profitable for you. You think as a human being, you feel in many things as human affection persuades you.
Casting All Care Upon God
The disciple surrenders anxiety to God, blessing the Lord in every circumstance.
Lord, what you say is true. You worry about me more than I could ever worry about myself. Anyone who doesn't cast all their anxiety on you is standing on uncertain ground.✦ Lord, as long as my will stays right and firm in you, do with me whatever pleases you. Whatever you do for me can only be good. If you want me to be in darkness, blessed be you; and if you want me to be in light, blessed be you again. If you choose to comfort me, blessed be you; if you choose to afflict me, equally blessed be you—always.
Ready to Suffer and to Rejoice
Christ calls the disciple to equal readiness for suffering and joy, poverty and abundance.
My child, this is how you must stand, if you want to walk with me. You should be just as ready to suffer as you are to rejoice. You should be just as willing to be destitute and poor as you are to be full and rich.
Glad Suffering and Grateful Trust
The disciple resolves to accept all from God's hand and trusts that no tribulation can harm the soul written in the book of life.
Lord, I will gladly suffer for you, just as you will to send upon me. I want to receive good and evil, sweetness and bitterness, joy and sorrow equally from your hand, and to give thanks for everything that happens to me.✦ Guard me from every sin, and I will fear neither death nor hell. As long as you do not cast me away forever, or blot me out of the book of life, whatever tribulation comes upon me will do me no harm.✦
Read the original Latin
Fili, sine me tecum agere quod volo: ego scio quid expediat tibi. Tu cogitas ut homo, in multis sentis, sicut tibi humanus suadet affectus.
Domine, verum est quod dicis. Major est sollicitudo tua pro me, quam omnis cura quam ego possem gerere pro me. Nimis enim casualiter stat, qui non projicit omnem sollicitudinem suam in te. Domine, dummodo voluntas mea recta et firma, in te permaneat, fac de me quidquid tibi placuerit. Non enim potest esse nisi bonum quidquid de me feceris. Si me vis esse in tenebris, sis benedictus; et si me vis esse in luce, sis iterum benedictus. Si me dignaris consolari, sis benedictus; si me vis tribulari, æque sis semper benedictus.
Fili, sic oportet te stare, si mecum desideras ambulare. Ita promtus debes esse ad patiendum, sicut ad gaudendum. Ita libenter debes esse inops et pauper, sicut plenus, et dives.
Domine, libenter patiar pro te sicut volueris venire super me. Indifferenter volo de manu tua bonum et malum, dulce et amarum, lætum et triste suscipere, et pro omnibus mihi contingentibus gratias agere. Custodi me ab omni peccato, et non timebo mortem neque infernum. Dummodo in æternum non projicias, nec deleas me de libro vitæ, non mihi nocebit quidquid veniret tribulationis super me.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Pet.5.7 — Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
- ↩Job.2.10 — But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we receive good from God, and not also receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
- ↩Exod.32.32-Exod.32.33;Rev.3.5 — But now, if you will forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written. Exod.32.33 — And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book." Rev.3.5 — The one who conquers will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.