Today, July 31st, is the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1566). You can go to other places on this website to learn more about him, but I think his greatest legacy is his Spiritual Exercises. Growing out of his own conversion experience, the Exercises can be done in a number of different ways. Now, Ignatius’ exercises don’t require any physical labor or gym membership. Instead, they are a series of spiritual prayers, meditations, reflections and activities which can lead a person into a deeper relationship with God. It just so happened that when I did a multi-month version of the Spiritual Exercises, I threw in a daily walking regime and healthier eating habits into the mix, and the end result was a better me.
Over the last 450 + years, millions of people have taken part in the Spiritual Exercises and integrated some of the principles, prayers and activities into their daily lives. I know I’ve done just that, and it’s made a huge difference in my life. Maybe has been or could be the same for you. You can learn more about Ignatian Spirituality by clicking here. Below is one of my favorite prayers written by St. Ignatius, I hope you might consider praying it today.
Prayer for Generosity
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,.
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.
