30 July 2023

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The purpose of this blog is to communicate and reinforce the spiritual methods of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.  These methods include a variety of prayers and ways of praying, including ways of reading the Bible and interpreting it for spiritual advantage.  For example, immerse yourself into the life of Solomon, the King, the son and successor of King David. 

               God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask of me something and I will give it to you” (1 Kings 3:5).  Now put yourself in Solomon’s place.  What would you say if God appeared to you and told you to ask Him for something and promised that He would deliver it to you?  Compose an honest reply and turn it into a prayer by offering it to God the next time you go to Church.  You might include some of these aspects of Solomon’s answer:

1. An appreciation of your family’s goodness and a recognition of God’s role in that;
2. A humble and accurate admission of your personal shortcomings;
3. Esteem for the people around you and a desire to help them;
4. A desire for personal growth, specifically in the understanding of right and wrong. 

When you have finished offering your own version of this prayer, wait in silence for a minute or two, listening for God’s own reply.