Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Unsure are our plans.” “The corruptible body burdens the soul.” “What is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?” These texts from Wisdom, chapter 9, remind us of our human limitations. Subsequent verses point to the possibility of human excellence: knowing God’s counsel, receiving the Holy Spirit and to making straight our paths.
It might be said that Ignatian Spirituality is a method of coping with human limitations while simultaneously pursuing human excellence. The point of Ignatian Spirituality, according to St. Ignatius, is “the conquest of self and the regulation of one’s life in such a way that no decision is made under the influence of any inordinate attachment.” The Ignatian method is a spiritual supplement that aims at growth in holiness for someone who already follows Christ and belongs to the Church He founded.
Examining my conscience, or meditating on sacred scripture, I can see how unsure my plans have been, and how my soul has been burdened, and how much difficulty I have had finding even the things that were already within my grasp. As I meditate, I ask God to make his counsels known to me, to send the Holy Spirit down upon me, and to make straight my paths.