It Is a Law of Divine Providence
That a Person Not Perceive or Sense
Anything of the Operation of Divine Providence,
but Still Know about And Acknowledge it
DP 175
The natural person
who does not believe in Divine providence
thinks to himself,
"What is Divine providence when evil people
are raised to higher positions of honor
and acquire more wealth than good people,
and when those
who do not believe in Divine providence
meet with many more like successes
than those who do believe?
Indeed, when faithless and impious people
are able to inflict injuries, losses and misfortunes,
and sometimes death on faithful and pious people,
and this by cunning and malicious arts?"
And so he thinks,
"Do I not see from actual experience,
as though in the clear light of day,
that crafty schemes prevail
over faithfulness and justice,
if only one has the clever skill to be able to
make them appear trustworthy and just?
What are any other happenings but inevitabilities,
consequences, and chance events,
in which we see no evidence of Divine providence?
Are not inevitabilities due to nature?
Are not consequences due to a cause,
flowing from it in accordance with
natural or civil order?
And are not chance events
due either to causes unknown,
or to no causes at all?"
Such are the thoughts entertained
by the natural person who ascribes nothing to God
but everything to nature.
For one who attributes nothing to God
attributes nothing to Divine providence either,
as God and Divine providence
are inseparably connected.
DP 177
The operation of the Lord's Divine providence
is constant in withdrawing a person from evils.
If someone were to perceive or sense
this constant operation
and yet not be led as one bound,
would he not continually resist it,
and in that case either contend with God
or intervene in Divine providence?
. . . the evil that a person has
does not accept good from the Lord in a moment,
nor does good from the Lord
cast out the evil from a person in a moment.
If the one or the other were to happen in a moment,
no life would be left to the person.
DP 179 [1, 2]
A desire to know the future is innate in most people,
but it is a desire
that takes its origin from a love of evil.
Consequently it is taken away from people
who put their trust in Divine providence,
and they have imparted to them a confidence
that the Lord is directing their lot,
so that they do not wish to know it beforehand
lest in some way they inject themselves
into Divine providence.
. . . "Find out what is good and what is true,"
they are told,
"and do the one and think the other if you can."
No comments:
Post a Comment