A Sunday Thought About Our Dear Father Willie

What better place to go for Sunday thoughts than Father Willie, our dear Father Willie? As a reminder, more than a century after his death, his "official" sainthood is finally being pursued. "Official" because, while we can never be absolutely certain, our assumption that Father resides right now in Heaven could be about as certain as unassuming as we can get with any assumption.

Father William Doyle, known to his contemporaries as "Willie" comes up frequently in these posts. In addition, we've referenced a website devoted to him: www.williedoyle.org. The site promotes the cause of this incredible Catholic priest who died while in the service of his "boys" at the front during World War I.  Given the facts of his life, if you take the trouble to learn about him, you'll see why he is the perfect saint (I obviously think he is that already) for our troubled times. The world and our souls need his intercession.

It would be well worth your time to learn more about Father Willie's life and mission. As I said, you can find out much about him at that website. For now, let's turn to something Father Willie wrote that appeared on that website recently. (He is quoted almost every day. I check in regularly. You might consider doing so as well. You won't be sorry.) These words capture a love of God I can't even begin to describe. (How could I? They're written by a saint!)

Jesus is the most loving of lovable friends there never was a friend like Him before, there never can be one to equal Him, because there is only one Jesus in the whole wide world and the vast expanse of Heaven; and that sweet and loving friend, that true lover of the holiest and purest love is my Jesus, mine alone and all mine. Every fibre of His divine nature is thrilling with love for me, every beat of His gentle Heart is a throb of intense affection for me, His sacred arms are round me, He draws me to His breast, He bends down with infinite tenderness over me, His child, for He knows I am all His and He is all mine. 

O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! who would not love You, who would not give their heart’s blood for You, if only once they realised the depth and the breadth and the realness of Your burning love? Why not then make every human heart a burning furnace of love for You, so that sin would become an impossibility, sacrifice a pleasure and a joy, virtue the longing of every soul, so that we should live for love, dream of love, breathe Your love, and at last die of a broken heart of love, pierced through and through with the shaft of love, the sweetest gift of God to man.

Read these words again. I don't know about you, but my head spins 360 each time I do. For those of us who may struggle with our relationship with Jesus Christ, these are words that can set us straight.

Of course, coming from this sinner, perhaps that's rather bold advice. But, ignoring the source, shouldn't we have the confidence in God's grace to believe this? If we cooperate with His grace each day, shouldn't something like Father Willie's love, expressed here, reflect our own, even if only as we take our last breath?

Since God's grace alone can change our hearts, melt them sufficiently until we can love as He would have us love, there's hope. We know He generously, even urgently, wants to pour out His grace upon us. Knowing this, doesn't it behoove us to open our stale, hardened hearts to let His grace flow deep within?

At least it's a thought, something to consider - a Sunday thought straight from the heart of our dear Father Willie.

Happy Sunday!