St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), Founder of the Jesuits
I would invite you to think about someone whom you know and love; someone whom you now believe is in Heaven with God. What is it that you remember about that person? Why is that person special to you?
I could be wrong, but my guess is that what you remember about the special person that I have asked you to think about is not how much money they made per year; or how big their house was; or what kind of car they drove. What you remember is probably how they loved you, supported you, and how they reflected God’s love to you. In many ways, what we remember about those people who were special in our lives is those things that they did to build up their wealth in the riches of the things that matter to God. Those things that matter to God are expressed beautifully in the commandments: “you shall love the Lord your God above all things and your neighbour as self.”
I think one of the best proofs for how a person impacts the lives of those around them is sometimes spoken of in the words of remembrance that are sometimes spoken of the deceased; either at the funeral home, the church or cemetery. Every time that I have heard these words spoken, they have always been in regard to the way in which the deceased person had loved others or gone out of his or her way to make sacrificial offerings of love for other persons. No one ever speaks of the deceased persons assets or salary. This past June, I attended a wake service for my aunt who had died. Although I did not know it, she had been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for more than forty years. At the wake, many members of her AA group came forward to speak about her. They talked about the many people that she had helped during her forty years of sobriety. Person after person came forward and spoke about the profound difference that she had made in their lives. Some spoke about her being there for them at the latest hours of the evening, so that she could help them overcome a great tragedy. Others said she had given them the advice that allowed them to restart their lives after all had fallen apart. My aunt did not die rich in the things of this world, but she had lived and died rich in the things that matter most to God.
The readings this Sunday are inviting you and I to see the decisions that we make in light of the ultimate purpose of our lives. For Christians, the purpose of life must include the ultimate reality that our true and permanent home is in heaven. The decisions that Christians make, ought to keep in mind this ultimate purpose and the passing nature of our time here on earth. This Sunday, July 31, is actually the feast day of a great saint who called all Christians to look at their lives in light of the purpose for which God created them and to attempt to order their priorities and decisions in light of this fact. St. Ignatius Loyola gave the Church the spiritual exercises through which he hoped to invite Christians to reflect upon why God had created them, what they would be without God in their lives, and how they might make future decisions based upon the fact that they were on a journey towards spending eternity with God in Heaven. Through this mode of discernment, St. Ignatius hoped to assist those who had not yet made a life decision about the direction of their life to discern how to live their lives in service of God and their ultimate goal of unity with God in Heaven. For those who had chosen a path, such as marriage, the single life or a particular vocation, such as the religious life or the priesthood, St. Ignatius offered rules of discernment intended to help keep them true to their calling and focused on the things that were truly important for their salvation. For anyone who is discerning a life decision about how best to serve God, there is a book which summarizes St. Ignatius’s method of discernment, which I would highly recommend. It is called Discerning the Will of God. It was written by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, and can be found easily on the Amazon or Indigo websites. The books ISNB number is: 10-0824524890.
In his exercises, St. Ignatius states that there are some decisions that are revealed by God directly. An example of this might be the kind of calling that the Apostles and first disciples received to follow God immediately. The call to follow Christ was so clear to them that they got up and followed right away without any debate. This is called a decision of the first mode of discernment. There are other decisions that do not come so easily and require a great deal of prayer and discernment. These types of decisions, St. Ignatius states should be made when we are in a time of consolation, which requires spiritual peace and freedom. They should also be done paying attention to the movements of our heart and what we discern would give us true and lasting peace. St. Ignatius encourages those who must make such decisions to make a list of the pros and cons of each possible path and to pray about how they would feel if each of these options were to be acted upon and come true. One inevitable question that St. Ignatius suggests all Christians should ask of themselves is how comfortable we will be presenting the decisions that we have made when we encounter Christ in Heaven on the day of judgement. As the Sunday readings do this weekend, St. Ignatius asks those who are making decisions to think about them in the context of what matters to God.
In order to provide a little bit of the context that St. Ignatius asks us to consider when making decisions, I would like to share with you some different questions that he would sometimes ask people to consider as they discerned their own future, and thought about different decisions which they might be considering. These possible questions about a decision might be:
- How will you think about your decision in the future? Imagine yourself in ten or twenty years. Which decision do you think you would be most comfortable with as you look back on the course of action that is presently here before you?
- Ask those people who know you and care for you the most what they would do. What path would someone who really cares for you advise you to follow? Ask those whom you trust and love to pray for you and ask God for the grace you require to follow a path or decision that is best for you.
- Think about how the decision will affect the rest of your life. Will it lead you in a direction that will bring you peace? Will it lead you on a path that will hold regret and sadness?
- Pretend that you are another person giving advise to yourself. What advice would you give to a good friend who had to make the same decision? If you had someone that you really cared about ask you what he or she should do in the same situation, what would you recommend to them as the best way to proceed?
- Imagine that you are at the end of your life and reflecting back on your last moments. Would you be happy with the decisions that you must now make if you were on your death bed? There is something about considering the end of our lives that helps us to focus on the priorities and the things that matter to us. This Sunday’s readings remind us that life is passing and the decisions that we make ought to be made in light of our journey towards Heaven.
- Finally, when you arrive in Heaven, will you be comfortable sharing with the Lord the decisions that you made in light of the choices that you were given in life? Will you be able to say you used the gifts and opportunities that God gave you wisely? Will the decision that you made cause you to approach Heaven joyfully or with regret and remorse?
There is a beautiful passage from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, in chapter thirteen, that speaks of love as the one thing that endures forever. This passage is often read at weddings. I believe the reason why St. Paul speaks of love as the one thing that does not fail is because it is only through love that we grow richer in the things that matter to God. For a parent who is providing sufficiently for the needs of his or her family, the decision to work more hours or spend more time with the children, might best be decided in love. Is a child better served by more loving time with a parent or a new pair of stylish sneakers? Even in matters of selfcare, we can ask ourselves whether engaging in a certain activity will allow me to love more enthusiastically or will it diminish my energy to serve the Lord and others? As we hear in the readings this Sunday, all the material things that we have in this world will be left to others when our journey is over. In the end, what is important, is what we will bring with us when we go to Heaven. The only thing that we are able to bring there is the fruits of our love.
When Peter encountered Jesus, after he had betrayed Him three times, the only question Jesus asked him was: “Do you love me?” This I believe will be the question that you and I will also be asked when it is time to present the riches that we have built-up in Heaven—Did we love the Lord our God above all things and our neighbor as self? Everything else will pass away.
May God bless all of us with the insight that St. Ignatius Loyola received, that we might see our purpose in life as glorifying God and building up those riches that truly count in the Kingdom of Heaven; so that our arrival there might be joyful and filled with much to give thanks to God for at the eternal banquet.
Blessings on the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor, St. Peter’s Parish – Toronto, Ontario.
This reflection based on the readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; Psalm 90; Colossians 3:1-5;9-11; and Luke 12:13-21.
