A 22-minute audio guided meditation with the teaching of St Ignatius.

“I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.”

Last week we had a meditation on the ‘Principle and Foundation’ of St Ignatius of Loyola, and today I offer you a meditation with a more contemporary translation of the text.

You may find this translation easier to connect with in places.

The closing phrase “I want and choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me” comes to me regularly, offering a rudder as I navigate questions of discernment or direction.

I hope you’ll find a phrase or two here that nourishes you.

Blessings as you pray.

“The Principle and Foundation”

God who loves us creates us and wants to share life with us forever. Our love response takes shape in our praise and honor and service of the God of our life. 

All the things in this world are also created because of God’s love and they become … gifts, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. 

As a result, we show reverence for all the gifts of creation and collaborate with God in using them so that … we develop as loving persons in our care for God’s world and its development. But if we abuse any of these gifts of creation or, on the contrary, take them as the center of our lives, we break our relationship with God and hinder our growth as loving persons. 

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all created gifts…. We should not fix our desire 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 more loving response to our life forever with God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me. 

David L Fleming, Draw Me into Your Friendship: The Spiritual Exercises, A Literal Translation and A Contemporary Reading

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

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All music by Pete Hatch. 

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