We took a moment to take some deep cleansing breaths and to center ourselves for a moment before reflection.
This month's passage is a follow-up to the March session's prayer of Thomas Merton. PPPST! March 2014 . Basically, we take solace in the fact that Jesus' yoke is light and burden easy. Merton prays, "But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you." Rev. James Martin, SJ, wrote The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, where we can find resonant ideas on the path to freedom through Christ.
"But there's more. Within that final contemplation is one of the most famous, and perhaps most difficult, of all Ignatian prayers. It's often called Suscipe, taken from the first word of the Latin prayer. ...Like many of the Ignatian ideals--including indifference, detachment, humility-- this prayer is a goal.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and all my will--
all that I have and possess.
You, Lord, have given all that to me.
I now give it back to you, O Lord.
All of it is yours.
Dispose of it according to your will.
Give me love of yourself along with grace,
for that is enough for me.
Like I said, a tall order. It is a prayer of total surrender...For me, I don't think I've ever been able to say that prayer and mean it completely. That is, I still want to hold on to all those things. And I'm not sure that I can say yet that all I need is God's love and grace. I'm still to human for that . But as Ignatius said, it's enough to have the desire for the desire. It's enough to want that freedom. God will take care of the rest."
Of course, the "indifference, detachment, and humility" that Rev. J. Martin speaks of are not directed at persons in our circle of intimates; rather he is pointing to detachment from our expectations and reactions, a greater challenge than the former, requiring no small dose of humility.
May these words give us comfort and strength as we walk with our families in our daily lives.
May these words give us comfort and strength as we walk with our families in our daily lives.
Until May 4th (snax de riguer :) )!
The ModSub
