Fr. Daniel Couture
« To restore all things in Christ » What a program given by St Pius X to each one of us!
These few words contain so many things. ‘To restore” implies first of all that some things are not, or are no longer under the dominion of Christ, and it is our duty to bring them back at their rightful place.
By our very nature of creature, we are absolutely dependent on God, He alone needs no one, needs nothing. Everything else, everyone else comes from Him, therefore absolutely need Him. We profess in the Nicene Creed which we recite on Sundays, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of visible and invisible things.” If He is the Creator, then whatever He creates needs Him to start to exist and to continue to exist at every moment of its existence. I cannot move an eyelid without Him, an ant cannot walk without Him, the galaxies cannot move without Him, a mind cannot think without Him...
Our big temptation, just like that of the Angels, is to try to escape His dominion. Lucifer said: “I will not serve!” Whenever we commit a sin, whenever we choose to do our will rather than follow the Commandments, we just say the same: “I will not serve!”
So, let us examine ourselves: is there something in my life that tries to escape the dominion of Our Lord? Are there some activities during which I say to Our Lord: “Please don’t get involved? Leave me alone for this one...I don’t want to know whether you approve it or not...”
In our families, in our homes, it is just the same: does Our Lord rule in every room of the house, or is He excluded from some? Does He reign 24h/24h in our families or are there moments when we tell Him: “Please leave the house for a while”? Are there
things which are incompatible with His law?
“To restore all things in Christ” means all that: “Thy will be done on earth, in my personal life, in my home, at work, at school, as it is in Heaven!” Let us have the humility to look at ourselves in all truth, without trying to deceive ourselves, and to ask the graces we need “to make the crooked ways straight”. It may seem a hard saying sometimes, but let us remember the word of St Paul: “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me!”
God bless you all!