Day 17

Finding Forgiveness & Healing Through Abandonment

As spoken by Father David Miller

Remember I spoke to you before about, regardless of who is responsible or, morally culpable for a
particular evil, the circumstances can always be used by God to bring about good, especially in regards to
suffering in crosses. In this case, it’s actually essential that you learn to be grateful to those who cause you
suffering. Stop for a moment. Don’t, turn off the video. I understand that can be very difficult, especially
as you’re enduring suffering right now or because of some past trauma that you’re still suffering from in
your life. Gratitude is one of the mystical keys by which we unlock grace. The reason is because gratitude
can only come from a humble heart and God loves humility so much. He’ll do anything for it. One of the
saints, I can’t remember who said it, may have been Therese of Lisieux, “that whenever you are grateful to
God for a grace given, he gives you 10 more because he’s pleased by your gratitude.” And if you’re grateful
for each of those 10, He gives you 10 more for each of them. That’s how much gratitude pleases God. And
it’s something we have to learn to practice even when we don’t feel like it. Remember the old saying, “fake
it till you make it”. The saints are grateful even for their sufferings, even for their crosses at the hands of
sinners. Why? Why on Earth would they be grateful? It’s because they have seen the hand of God working
through the sinner who caused them suffering and they’re grateful for what God did through that person.
You’ll continue to see as we go on through the series more examples of this. I want to share with you a
brief one. Remember Joseph and his coat of many colors, how his brothers sold him into slavery because
they were envious of him and their father’s favor for him among all his brothers. Because he was sold
into slavery by his brothers, a very sinful act, he was able to save his brothers and his father many years
later because of his position in Egypt with Pharaoh. Remember the famine that was going on in his home
country, his family traveled to Egypt to get grain because of his position of power and authority. Precisely
because he had been sold into slavery, brought about the salvation of his family. If his brothers had not
sadly, through sin, sold him into slavery, he would not have been the savior of his family, of his entire
people. He had to have been grateful to God through his brothers, not for their sin, but for what their sin
brought about in him. Even though it was great suffering.

All of the saints tell us stories like this. The Bible is full of stories. Jesus Christ is the most perfect one,
right? Jesus would have been grateful to the soldiers who crucified him and the Sadducees and Pharisees
who out of hatred, you know, wanted Him dead because without their rejection of Him, He would not have
been able to die for them and save them from their sins. Consider that for a moment. Jesus wasn’t happy
for why they did it, but He was happy that God was able to use their sin, to use the consequences of their
sinful choices, to bring about a greater good in the world. This is what we have to recognize and since this
is true, you should be grateful not just to God, but even to the instrument that God used to help bring
you the cross that you’re enduring so you could grow in holiness. Now, I’m not saying you should go up
to somebody who just punched you in the nose and say thank you would you please do that again. Now,
clearly that’s not what I mean by gratitude. What I mean is if you are grateful to God’s working through

good catholic.™ Thy Will Be Done | GoodCatholic.com | CatholicCompany.com

them despite their sin, you won’t have resentment in your heart. You also won’t have fear and there will be
no wound on your heart.

You will more easily forgive because you’ll see the hand of God through even your own enemy. This is so
important. Jesus does this. All the saints imitating Him do this. In order to trust the divine providence to
find peace and to grow in the holiness for which we are called, we have to learn this type of gratitude and
again, you’re going to fake it till you make it. You’re not going to feel it. You’re going to be saying thank you
with gritted teeth, you know? But that’s okay. Keep thanking God. Keep thanking, at least in your heart,
your neighbor for having hurt you, to give you an opportunity to share in the cross of Christ and you’ll find
your heart will begin to conform to that gratitude. You’ll grow in humility, you’ll grow in peace, and you’ll
grow in trust of your Lord.

Please join us again tomorrow as we continue our series.

good catholic.™ Thy Will Be Done | GoodCatholic.com | CatholicCompany.com