A Chaplain’s Thoughts: Divine Providence
By Rev. James F. Quigley, O.P. ’60
Associate Chaplain, National Alumni Association
What should I do next? That question is considered in an article, “What Are You Here For?,” by the newly appointed Dominican Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. A lot rides on the answer. Maybe it is something we all might reflect upon. I really like a prayer by St. John Henry Newman:
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing.
Providence! God’s providence! Divine providence! What is it? It is God’s particular plan for each human person and for the human community, for creation. This theological understanding posits a loving relationship between God and all persons. Divine providence is a serious and at times complicated concept. But to keep it simple, it means that God has a specific plan for each and every one of your lives. He has that plan because God has enormous love for you, each of you, wants the best for you, cares for you, and won’t let you go. You respond freely to that plan or not. It may take a little work and thought to discern that plan, but your happiness depends on it.
Women and men of faith pray for enlightenment and give thanks to that provident father. What should I do next? You do have a mission, a call, a vocation. You are not simply a cog in a machine but rather you are a unique person with a real task, which needs to be accomplished. A lot depends on it. Providence has chosen you for a definite service.
