Inter-Provincial Novitiate

“Peace is My farewell to you. My peace is My gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace” --- John 14:27

The Imitation of Christ and St. Gaspar Bertoni

(The Notion to Obtain True Peace)

By Carlos 

 All human beings desire peace. We do a lot of things in this world, engaging ourselves to different kinds of activity to obtain peace in our heart and in our soul. Meditation, contemplation, painting, yoga, listening to the music, hiking, biking, swimming, etc. are some means that we usually do in order to obtain peace. But these activities that are mentioned can give only temporary peace to us, these are not really the true ways in order to obtain internal peace.

       One of the chapters of the book of Thomas Kemphis entitled “Imitation of Christ” offered four things that can bring a person to true peace and perfect liberty in this world. “(1) Do the will of another rather than your own; (2) Always choose to have fewer riches rather than more; (3) Always seek the lowest place and desire to be subject to all; (4) Always wish for and pray that the will of God be accomplished in you” (I.C. Bk. 3: 23). These points contain great perfection, they are few in words but full of meaning and abounding in virtue. Analyzing these points properly would end up with a very important virtue that is very similar to the spiritual life of St. Gaspar Bertoni, i.e. HUMILITY.

       We have studied the spiritual profile of St. Gaspar Bertoni, and I am certain that all of us would agree that these points in obtaining internal peace were lived by St. Gaspar during his time here on earth. He always made the will of God rather than his own will as a person; he chose to live in poverty even though he could imitate the work of his father as a businessman or his mother as an aristocrat; he always wished and prayed that the will of God be accomplished in him. Thus, because of these, all the prayers and wishes that St. Gaspar asked from God were fulfilled and bestowed on him as he continued with his journey here on earth.

       However, this is as far as the life of St. Gaspar Bertoni is concerned, and not our life. How about us? Are we ready to give up everything for the sake of God? Are we mature enough to think about others rather than our own self? This is a very big challenge for us to abandon our old ways of life and try to consider God in our heart. It is very difficult to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others because the people in this world always desire anything to an excessive degree. It is written “it is very difficult for the human beings to withdraw themselves from worldly desires when their spirits are still weak and inclined to the things of sense” (I.C. Bk. 1:6) meaning to say we cannot find peace if we continue to attach ourselves on the things of this world, but we find our peace only by resisting passions, not by giving in to them.

       The question that says “how can you remain in peace when you deliberately interfere in other people’s business and seek worldly occupation with seldom a thought to interior recollection?” (I.C. 1:11). Thus, in order to attain peace in our heart this question is somewhat giving us an idea to sought to abstain from worldly desires, to make ourselves free to give our whole heart to God. St. Gaspar was able to live his life here on earth doing his best to accomplish the things that would please God. He lived with total abandonment, thinking only the spiritual needs of others even though it would cause him to long years of suffering through sickness and tribulations. But still, we can say that in his life of radical poverty, he was very happy living in it and he was very at peace in God. Moreover, he was able to find peace in his self through accomplishing the things which would lead him to the way to Christ.

       If we will try to imagine it is very difficult to go against our natural desires and do the will of others instead of our own. We human persons, we think that it is impossible for us to obtain great peace because we always have an alternative plan; we let other people think that our intention is correct but deep in our hearts we only intend because we can benefit from it. In other words, we always work for the things that we can get something for our own interest. Like St. Gaspar let us face our problems with great zeal and positive understanding. Let us choose to live in great peace through doing the will of God for us.