By entering religion and taking my vows I have given myself over absolutely to God and His service. He, therefore, has a right to be served in the way He wishes. If then He asks me to enter on a hard, mortified life and spend myself working for Him, how can I resist His will and desire? What is God asking from me now? Shall I go back on that offering?

COMMENT: The principle that we should serve God as he wishes and without reserve is not only confined to religious – it applies to lay people as well. However, for lay people it will normally involve doing our duties well rather than “going” somewhere else as it might with a religious.

Fr Doyle lived this total dedication in the trenches, going far out of his “comfort zone” to serve God.

Today’s saint, Raymond of Nonnatus, also gave himself completely to God. He was a Mercardian priest from the 13th century. The apostolate of this order was to ransom slaves captured by the Moors. He raised much money for this apostolate, and when the money ran out, he offered himself in exchange for some slaves. Tradition tells us that his captives made holes in his lips and locked them together to stop him from preaching.

We are unlikely to be asked to live in trenches with soldiers like Fr Doyle was, or to offer ourselves as a ransom to free slaves like St Raymond Nonnatus. But each day still provides many opportunities for us to practice the virtue of generosity towards God and others, even in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. 

St Raymond Nonnatus