The Weather and God's Will

We should wish with the divine will for heat and cold, storm and calm, and all the vagaries and inclemencies of the elements. We should in short accept whatever kind of weather God sends us, instead of supporting it with impatience or anger as we usually do when it is contrary to what we desire.... Not only should we wish the weather to be as it is because God has made it so but, whatever inconvenience it may cause us, we should repeat with the three youths in the fiery furnace: Cold, heat, snow and ice, lightnings and clouds, winds and tempests, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever (Daniel 3:67). The elements themselves are blessing and glorifying God by doing His holy will, and we also should bless and glorify Him in the same way. Besides, even if the weather is inconvenient for us, it may be convenient for someone else. If it prevents us from doing what we want to do, it may be helping another. And even if it were not so, it should be enough for us that it is giving glory to God and that it is God who wishes it to be as it is. ~Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, S.J. (1588-1657), in The Knowledge and Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ

When I read the above passage the other day, I laughed out loud! Why? Because it made me realize how silly it is to become annoyed over the weather. Perhaps this is easy for me to say because, living in Houston, TX as I do, I don't have to deal with the inconvenience of snow and ice come the winter months. Still, the weather here can cause inconveniences but, the fact is, "even if the weather is inconvenient for us, it may be convenient for someone else". It's not all about me.

And then there is the reminder that "the elements themselves are blessing and glorifying God by doing His holy will," which should be reason to rejoice rather than to grumble. Shouldn't I be happy that God's will is being accomplished? And if even the elements are blessing their Creator, shouldn't I, whom God has gifted with a heart and a mind and a will, being doing the same, not now and then but over and over again, every moment of my brief but wonderful life?

O my soul, bless the Lord! "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever! Praise him and give him thanks, because his mercy endures forever!" (Daniel 3:89-90)