23 June 2016
Thursday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel speaks of the purpose of firm foundations and no doubt this was one of the passages that inspired St. Ignatius when he composed his Spiritual Exercises, especially “The First principle and Foundation”. In this part of the Exercises, Ignatius identifies what he considers to be the key project of not only the Spiritual Exercises themselves but the whole project of one’s life. In a succinct paragraph Ignatius lays the reality of humanity’s fundamental relationship with God and the necessity to make choices that will strengthen this relationship. For Ignatius, this relationship is the firmest foundation and a recognition of this foundation will get you through those storms and winds described in today’s Gospel. A Missionary of Charity told me that Mother Teresa never worried. She was concerned about various matters but she never presented herself or wrote about being worried. To do so when mean that somehow God’s grace would not come through and worry would be the logical result. But for someone like Mother Teresa whose foundation was with God, concern never lead to worry.