Faced with increasing violence in Guatemala, family and friends all wanted Bl. James Miller to come home. They feared for his life and wanted him to be safe.
However, instead of fleeing from the situation, Bl. James Miller firmly believed that God was calling him to stay and trusted in God’s providence.
He wrote about this exact theme in one of his last letters before his death, published in a local newspaper in 1982.
God knows why He continued to call me to Guatemala when so many friends and relatives encouraged me to pull out for my own comfort and safety. I have been a Christian Brother for nearly 20 years now, and my commitment to my vocation grows steadily stronger in the context of my work in Central America.
Instead of giving in to the temptation to abandon his flock in Guatemala, he stayed with him, trusting God above all things.
I pray to God for the grace and strength to serve Him faithfully by my presence among the poor and oppressed of Guatemala. I place my life in His Providence; I place my trust in Him.
He also wrote in the same letter, “‘God’s ways are not man’s ways,’ says the Bible.”
Bl. James Miller’s life is a powerful example of trust in God’s divine providence. If we want to unlock the secret to holiness in our own lives, we can look to Bl. Miller and see how God challenges us to trust in him no matter what may happen to us.
