Friday, January 01, 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR!






Word cloud indicating what people first think of 
when they think of the Wernersville Jesuit Spirituality Center



The principal function of our words in Ignatian prayer is not so much to understand the nature of God as to understand what it is that God is asking of us.  “What does God want of a human life?” is how Father Kolvenbach, our past Father General,  expresses the goal of our prayer.    God does not respond to us in words but rather in movements of the heart.   Nevertheless, Kolvenbach remarks how important it is for us to formulate our part of our conversation with God as clearly as we can.   For, he says, "only a well-formulated question will receive an adequate response."

It occurs to me that we might desire a particular clarity of language today, the first day of 2016.   May we thank God for all of God’s care for us over the past year.  May we name particular instances of that care and relish how God brought us through to this day.  For example: I thank God for providing my health and those by name who care for it.   And I thank God for surrounding me by name with family and with other men and women who commit themselves to the welfare of others, including me. 

And let us also clarify our own desires for 2016 and measure them against the movements of our hearts.   We want to align our desires with God's desires for us.  Deseo aprender a leer la Misa en español!

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