October 17, 2016

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Lk 12: 13-21

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

What Matters

Today’s gospel parable from St. Luke is a challenging invitation to reflect upon those things to which one clings. As Jesus tells the moral of the parable, a question arises; what matters to God? It seems that Ignatian spirituality suggests the following; to use things and love people, and not the reverse. The invitation continues, inviting to review all gifts that God offers… friends, family, co-workers, companions.  Focusing on things leads to ignoring or hurting relationships.  To keep first the greater glory of God (AMDG) with focus and intentionality helps in loving people.

An important connection: As the founder of the Society of Jesus earned a master's degree, the name on his diploma was not Iñigo, but "Ignatius," which he adopted in Paris and used for the rest of his life. (It is speculated that he named himself after a saint he admired - Ignatius of Antioch.  Do you admire Ignatius of Antioch?)

—Fr. Kevin Schneider, SJ is the Director of Adult Spiritual Enrichment Programs at Creighton Preparatory School, Omaha, NE.

Today's Ignatian Message

Prayer

Lord, teach me to be generous, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to look for any reward, save that of knowing that I do your holy will.

—Attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola