July 31 is the Feast ofSaint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Ignatius’ influence on Christian prayer and spirituality cannot be under-estimated. In my own life, I’ve had a Jesuit priest as a spiritual director for the past 30 years and for the same period of time I’ve always made my annual retreat at Jesuit retreat houses. Our prayer tonight begins with a selection from Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises (paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J.). I encourage you to take your time with these words – just the very first line offers enough food for thought and prayer to last a week!
The Goal of our life is to live with God forever. God, who loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God’s life to flow into us without limit. All the things in this world are gifts from God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us to develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal. In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.
Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in me.
Night Prayer
Lord, help me accept everything in my life
as your gift to me…
And here, Lord, is the one thing
I find most difficult to accept…
Grant me the wisdom
to hold all things in balance, in perspective…
And here, Lord, is the one thing
that most easily upsets my balance…
Let none of your gifts overshadow
the gift of your grace in my life…
And here, Lord, is the one thing
that most often distracts me from you…
Help me see how everything in my life
has potential for drawing me closer to you:
everything, Lord!
And here, Lord, is one thing
that’s a roadblock on my path to you…
Let this be my one desire, Lord:
to choose, always, what leads me to you
and deepens your life within me…
And help me desire, Lord, that in all things
that this be my first desire…
Protect me, Lord, while I’m awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace…
Tonight, two musical settings of the same text: Ignatius’ prayer, the Suscipe(Latin for « take » or « receive. »
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Take, Lord, receive, all my liberty. My memory, understanding, my entire will!
Give me only your love and your grace, that’s enough for me! Your love and your grace are enough for me!
Take Lord, receive, all I have and possess. You have given all to me, now I return it.
Take Lord receive, all is yours now. Dispose of it, wholly according to your will.
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