Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The first bit of advice that St. Ignatius Loyola imparts to his retreatants is this: “First, in the morning, immediately on rising, one should resolve to guard carefully against the particular sin or defect with regard to which he seeks to correct or improve himself” (Spiritual Exercises 24).
The average English speaker in the 21st Century may not like this advice, because the focus is on sin and defect. Fine. Take St. Ignatius’ idea and reverse it. What is the particular virtue or good habit that you would like to develop today? Maybe something from today’s first reading at mass? Heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Pick one of these things and make it your particular goal for the day.
Or, if the language of St. Ignatius doesn’t bother you, don’t reverse it. Think in terms of sins and defects and reverse that list from mass today. The opposite of heartfelt compassion is indifference, apathy, and cold heartedness. The opposite of kindness is cruelty and harshness. The opposite of gentleness is savagery and roughness. The opposite of patience is impatience. Pick one of these sins or defects and make a particular effort to avoid it.
Either way, you will find God working beside you.