In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius makes a fundamental statement of faith, called his First Principle and Foundation, that claims all the things in this world, including our own lives, are loving gifts from our Creator God. All that we have is gift: our minds and bodies, our friendships and loved ones, our talents and opportunities.
God’s incredible love for us is such that it cannot possibly remain bound up in the divine, rather it bursts forth into this world and into our lives in myriad ways. What we do with our lives becomes our response to God’s boundless love. Today’s gospel reminds us that we can make our lives a gift to God. We are invited to “repay to God” all that has been freely given to us.
In what ways are you feeling invited to “repay” God more fully with your life? Today, ask for the grace of seeing all things as gifts. As you do, pay attention to what loving response most naturally wells up within you. Find the courage to put that love into action.
—Aaron Pierre, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic of the Wisconsin Province, is studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.