Reflection on St Ignatius of Loyola and the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius in honor of his feast day - 31 July 2022

      Back in the spring of 2017, when I found out I was going to move to St Jude parish in Pearl, the Bishop asked me if I wanted to take some additional time off, since I had been a priest for nine years at that point and with all that was going on in my life as a priest, I had not had a lot of vacation time and down time.  I told him I wanted to reflect upon that, to use that time in a good way.  I decided to go on a 30-day retreat on the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola on the site of his family’s castle in the Basque Country in northern Spain, which I ended up doing in July 2019.  What an amazing, intense experience those spiritual exercises turned out to be!  Based upon his own time of discernment in the early 16th century when he left behind his life as a medieval knight and solider to become a priest, the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius are a time of intense prayer and silence that include a daily meeting with a spiritual director.  Except for that daily meeting, there was no talking at all, just prayer, Mass, and silence. I remember telling a friend about that experience, saying that it was like going deep inside myself and baring my soul each day. I give thanks that Bishop Kopacz gave me the opportunity to have that experience.  

     This Sunday, July 31, as we celebrate the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, we will pray two of his well-know prayers at Mass.  The Suscipe is a traditional form of Catholic prayer which comes from the Latin word “receive”.  Those of you who have been connected with Catholic schools founded by the Sisters of Mercy will be familiar with the suscipe prayer written by that order’s founders Sister Catherine McAuley.  We will pray the suscipe of St Ignatius. Also, even though it appears that St Ignatius did not write the Anima Christi prayer, it is a prayer included in the beginning of his spiritual exercises and it is very closely associated with him.  Blessings to all of you. I am so glad to be with all of you as your pastor here at Holy Savior Clinton and Immaculate Conception Raymond.  Father Lincoln.