{"id":36568,"date":"2026-03-31T00:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/?p=36568"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:52:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:52:45","slug":"in-gods-hands-with-saint-elizabeth-ann-seton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/in-gods-hands-with-saint-elizabeth-ann-seton\/","title":{"rendered":"In God\u2019s Hands With Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2026 all is in God\u2019s hands. If I had a choice and my own will should decide in a moment, I would remain silent in God\u2019s hands. Oh, how sweet it is to rest there In perfect confidence.\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/em>Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, February 8, 1809<\/p>\n

Freedom is perhaps our society\u2019s most cherished ideal. So when we speak about surrendering to God\u2019s will, it\u2019s often difficult to react positively. The will of God can feel like something forced, that we must grudgingly accept, before buckling down and soldiering on.<\/p>\n

One reason for this negative attitude is that we often falsely attribute things to God\u2019s will that aren\u2019t what He wills for us at all, but which He permits in this fallen world.<\/p>\n

The well-intentioned friend or neighbor who speaks of “accepting God\u2019s will” as we face a frightening medical diagnosis, or the loss of a loved one, reveals a misunderstanding \u2014 or only partial understanding \u2014 of what God\u2019s will really means.<\/p>\n

The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> speaks about the distinction between what God wills and what He permits, and how the presence of suffering in the world is not what He wills, but what He allows due to His respect for our freedom:<\/p>\n

God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. He permits it<\/strong>, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it: For almighty God\u2026, because he is supremely good, would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist<\/strong> in his works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself. <\/em><\/p>\n

Yet, even presuming a proper understanding of God\u2019s will, most of us may still find that surrendering to Providence is a heroic act. We may have to dig deep within ourselves to truly accept what God has permitted. And to do that with any measure of good cheer seems more heroic still.<\/p>\n

Surrendering to God\u2019s will implies the denial of self and picking up our crosses. It\u2019s what we must do to persevere, amidst feelings of frustration in a difficult marriage, or the anxiety and exhaustion that comes from inadequate finances, or the burdens placed on us by poor health. \u201cGod wants something from all of this,\u201d we tell ourselves, as we trudge from day to day.<\/p>\n

To be sure, Our Lord himself showed us that surrender to God\u2019s will is not always easy, that the divine will can in fact be a bitter cup. \u201cAbba, let this cup pass from me\u2026\u201d Jesus cries with bloody sweat and tears in Gethsemane, before firmly stating, \u201cbut not what I will \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her life, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton endured her own Gethsemane \u2013 an almost never-ending series of trials and hardships that began when she was a child. Yet her commitment to accept God\u2019s will never wavered.<\/p>\n

In fact, throughout her writings, when Mother Seton speaks of God\u2019s will, she doesn\u2019t paint a picture of bitter medicine that must be forced down over and over again. Instead, she conceives of it (and refers to it, over and over again) as the \u201cadored\u201d will:<\/p>\n

\u2026 would I change one shade or trial [of my life]? \u2026 that would be madness. Oh no, the dear dear dear Adored Will be done through every moment of it, may it control, regulate, and perfect us. And when all is over, how we will rejoice.<\/em><\/p>\n

She wrote this to her friend Eliza Sadler in January 1809 when she was leaving New York for Baltimore. The thrice-repeated \u201cdear\u201d and capitalization of \u201cAdored\u201d and \u201cWill\u201d shows just how much her heart was truly in love with, and not simply surrendered to, God\u2019s will. This same attitude of hers can be detected through the most cursory reading of her letters and notes:<\/p>\n

“Thy will be done. What a comfort and support those four little words are to my soul \u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n

“There can be no disappointment where the soul\u2019s only desire and expectation is to meet His adored will and fulfill it \u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n

“So sweet is the Providence that over rules us \u2026 “<\/em><\/p>\n

“Here I stand with hands and eyes both lifted to wait the Adorable Will \u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n

What could make St. Elizabeth Ann Seton describe God\u2019s will as something sweet, and especially and so often, adored?<\/em> And how can we get to such a point in our own lives?<\/p>\n

Trust. It is all about trust.<\/p>\n

In Genesis<\/em>, Adam and Eve are seduced by the devil because, as the Catechism puts it, man had allowed \u201chis trust in his Creator [to] die in his heart.\u201d The Catechism goes on to express the momentous truth that \u201call subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my children once made one of those insightful and interesting observations that kids make: \u201cBabies must be brave,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause they don\u2019t know anything about what is happening in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a logical conclusion. How many times have I invited her to \u201ctry to be brave\u201d when she\u2019s had to face something unknown?<\/p>\n

And yet, it\u2019s not bravery that characterizes a baby, but trust. True, everything a small child confronts day in and day out is an unknown. But what is there to worry about?<\/p>\n

Mommy is there. Safety.<\/p>\n

This is precisely the kind of trust that characterizes St. Elizabeth Ann\u2019s relationship with God, who she always considered a dear and beloved Father. And once such a firm foundation of trust in God was established in her life, the will of this dear Father of hers also became dear, and even adored.<\/p>\n

A lot more can be said about how St. Elizabeth Ann was able to maintain her trust in God, and her constant surrender to His will, amid seemingly endless suffering. But it\u2019s enough to consider the words she wrote as she braved the rough Atlantic waters, in the hope that Italy would bring healing to her beloved husband. In writing to her friend Julia, Elizabeth explains:<\/p>\n

But one subject you will share with me, which engages my whole soul, the dear, the tender, the gracious love with which every moment has been marked in these my heavy hours of trial you will believe, because you know how blessed they are who rest on our heavenly Father \u2014 not one struggle nor desponding thought to contend with. Confiding hope and consoling peace have attended my way through storms and dangers that must have terrified a soul whose rock is not Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n

KATHLEEN N. HATTRUP<\/strong> is the Executive Editor of Aleteia’s English edition. Her career in Catholic media has particularly focused on the popes and news from Rome. She is also a translator, a children’s book author, and a mom of four.<\/p>\n

This reflection was previously published. Click here<\/a> to view all our Seton Reflections.<\/em\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton accepted God\u2019s will for her life as something sweet\u2014even adored. How can we achieve the same spiritual surrender in our own lives?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":36571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1187],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seton-reflections"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIn God\u2019s Hands With Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"St. Elizabeth Ann Seton accepted God\u2019s will for her life as something sweet\u2014even adored. 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