On this Sunday, the Jesuit works of Cincinnati come together with deep gratitude to reflect on our shared mission to follow Jesus Christ in the tradition of St. Ignatius.
The First Principle and Foundation, the meditation that starts off the Spiritual Exercises and anchors our Ignatian way, begins:
“Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this, to save their souls.”
In a time when many in our culture might question the nature of religion and faith itself, we are here because we believe in the Gospel. The truth of the Gospel reorients us, especially when we feel pulled in many directions. We are reminded that “…God is Love.” (1 John 4:8); that we are created by love for the sake of sharing love; that everything in our lives is a gift, given so that we might better live out the love revealed by Jesus Christ and shared in the Holy Spirit.
During this Jubilee Year of Hope, we remember what it is to strive for good amidst the perennial presentation of the world’s difficulties. In every generation, evils persist that destroy our faith in God, our commitment to care for one another, and our understanding that we are truly one body, one people in Christ. But we are not a people of despair. We are a people of the Resurrection! With a hope that is neither blind optimism nor passive waiting, we trust that God is actively working in and through all things.
Hope arises when we remember the various expressions of this foundational call to discipleship: To seek God in all things; to let go of what is passing and freely choose what endures; to help reveal, each day, the greater glory of God in this difficult world.
However we help today in preparing for a better tomorrow, our ministries are an expression of hope in Christ. Whether in a classroom, at hospital bedside, in an administrative office, working a community garden, visiting the home of a person in need, spending time with those who hunger spiritually or feeding folks at food pantry, the grace of God present in our world is magnified when we say “yes” to living the Gospel.
More directly: You are witness to a God who is still creating, still redeeming, still calling each of us forward. Your “yes” to Christ matters, this time, every time, because it reveals that the Holy Spirit is still profoundly present and transforming this world. Thank you for your witness.
May we continue to support one another across institutions, living as companions in faith and encouragement. May our shared Ignatian heritage help us recognize how all that exists is created to help us find God. May we always remember that what we do in this world, as good as it may be, prepares us even more profoundly to live with God in the next.
In Christ’s peace and in the tradition of St. Ignatius,
Fr. Paul Lickteig, SJ
Pastor, Cincinnati Jesuit Parish Family
