Divine Providence—
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Most people mistakenly think The Count of Monte Cristo is about revenge. It is not. It’s about hope and trusting in God’s providence.
Now I won’t spoil anything big, but I’ll explain the main premise. The Count, originally Edmon Dantes, was treacherously betrayed and sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit. Dantes eventually escapes prison, but instead of seeing the providence in his prison sentence, the things he learned there, and the relationship he formed with his fellow prisoner, the Abbe, he sees only the misfortune. Feeling as if Providence has failed him, he tries to become Providence, to control everything and trust in no one but himself. In the process he becomes a slave, obsessed with controlling everything. Ironically, he has two slaves, Ali and Heide, whom the Count of Monte Cristo takes care of so well that they have no concerns, no fears, no anxieties or worries. Because they have someone who they know cares for them, they live totally free from anxiety, worry and fear, totally in peace, contentment, and joy - real freedom. In fact, when they all arrive in France, a country that had abolished slavery, technically they could go free, but they want to stay with the Count, because they know He will always care for them.
If you have no one to rely on but yourself, you will become obsessed and enslaved with the effort to take care of everything. On the other hand, we become totally free if we depend totally upon another – especially if that other is God.
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No matter what happens in the world or your life, you are safe. Why? Because God is your Father. Since He is God, and all things are within His wisdom and power, nothing can happen that He does not will or allow and, in both cases, He will work all things for your greatest good. That is His nature; He cannot do otherwise.
Now, we can stop the good God wants to do in our lives by making stupid and sinful decisions based on fear or disordered desires. Yet even then, if we turn back to God, He will even use those bad decisions for our greatest good.
Living by Divine Providence sets you free from fear - to accomplish the greatest good with the greatest ease - and it is the key to Peace. Therefore, I want to remind you of some principles of Divine Providence to live by in these times.
The first of these is that everything that happens has been foreseen by God from all eternity.
Providence comes from the word Pro-videre (to see things on our behalf)
1. From all eternity God saw what you are going through right now; You couldn’t see what was coming, but he did.
2. Even though you can’t understand what you are going through, God does, He is with you and He understands it on your behalf.
3. No matter what you are going through, God WILL work this in your favor if you cooperate with Him by doing and accepting His will.
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The second principle is that nothing can be willed or permitted by God that does not contribute to your good and the good of the whole world.
St. Catherine of Siena said to those who are scandalized and rebel against what happens to them: "Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind."
(Rom. 8:28) God works all things for good for those who love him.
God guides all things to contribute to our spiritual welfare, not only the grace He gives us, not only those natural qualities He endows us with, but sickness, world events, the forces of nature, and apparent failures and defeats.
St. Augustine tells us, even our sins, which God does not want us to commit, He still permits in order to lead us to humility, a greater reliance on Him and a purer love for Him.
This is why God allowed Peter to deny Him three times - to make Peter more humble, less self-reliant, and more trusting in divine mercy.
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The third principle is this: Do your part; surrender the rest to God without anxiety or worry.
Surrendering to God does not mean giving up.
Surrender does not dispense us from taking responsibility and doing our part to fulfill God’s will, take responsibility for ourselves and others.
But in doing our part we don’t try to do God’s part.
Only He can guide all things in His Providence.
We cannot guide All things. We can only do our part and leave the Rest to God.
So long as we have the sincere desire to carry out His will made known from day to day, in our duties, in the needs of others and the events of life, we can and indeed we must abandon ourselves for the rest to the divine will and good pleasure, no matter how mysterious it may be.
We must have a firm hope in God's assistance and put our trust in Him, being careful at the same time to fulfill our responsibilities and do His will.
As the well-known proverb has it: "Do what you ought, come what may."
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The Last Principle: Mary has your back so entrust yourself to her
St Maximilian Kolbe said: I see Mary everywhere. I see difficulties nowhere…
When at times I am tempted to worry I immediately say to myself: silly one, why do you worry? Is this your work? If all belongs to the Immaculate, will she not attend to it? Then let her lead you.
These principles may be summed up in this way:
1. Everything that happens has been foreseen by God from all eternity and has been willed or permitted by Him.
2. He wills nothing, He permits nothing, unless for the good of those that love Him.
3. Do what is in your power; abandon the rest to God and let him do what he wants
4. All will be well, God has the matter in hand. We need fear nothing. You are safe.
5. Mary has your back; entrust yourself to her motherly care
In view of these four principles, it is evident that our trust in Providence cannot be too childlike, too great.
Jesus asks for childlike abandonment to the providence of our heavenly Father who takes care of his children's smallest needs: "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?". . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."