I want to share one bit of advice from St. Francis de Sales that is part of every Oblate's life. We call it the Direction of Intention. De Sales tells us: "They who wish to thrive and advance in the way of our Lord should, at the beginning of their actions, both exterior and interior, ask for his grace and offer to his divine Goodness all the good they will do." This advice from Francis is seen by many as the heart of his spirituality. He insists that its practice will help one "to thrive and advance" in sanctity." What is it exactly? It is simply a practice of prayer whereby we consciously direct to God whatever we are about to do. When done in this spirit, the action we are about to begin becomes sacred.
Most Oblates use the form: My God, I offer you this action. I give you all the good that I may do. I promise for love of you to accept the challenges I may face. Help me conduct myself in a manner pleasing to you.
I have one that's much easier to remember. When I was a little kid, my mother would line up her children as they left for school. She wanted to make sure we were ready to face the public and not embarrass her. In the early months of first grade, I remember standing in front of my mother for inspection. She would fruitlessly try to pastedown the several cowlicks I had on my big head of red hair, straighten the tie on my Catholic school uniform, hand me my lunch, place a kiss on my face and say, "Now say your Direction of Intention."
It took months before I asked my mother, "What is a Direction of Intention." Her response: "Just say, I do everything for you, God," and if you do that, God will be in everything you do. Little did she know that she opened me up to a world invaded by God in that simple instruction. I can remember walking to school in the spring, looking at the wildflowers in the fields, inspecting newborn pollywogs in dirty puddles, seeing the humongous trees green and open to new life, and thinking, "God is here in all of this." Throughout my youth, I prayed that simple phrase, "God, I do everything for you."
Sometimes I forgot, sometimes I said it and didn't think of it again, but there were times that, as a child, I became filled with wonder in the God of creation who walked with me to school.
The grace of this simple prayer is what, I believe, opened me to the deeper recesses of my heart and prepared a fertile ground for my vocation. It continues to be a tremendous grace in my life, fulfilling what St. Francis predicted, with still more to come. Although, I have graduated to the more complicated Oblate form of the prayer.
It's simple - say it in the morning, at the beginning of every act, as you begin a conversation, wash the dishes, cook a meal, or rest in times of quiet. "I do everything for you, God." St. Francis would say to you as you do this, "Look at God, and he will look at you."
Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS
Provincial
Toledo-Detroit Province
