Saint Ignatius and God's Will

One of my favorite saints is Ignatius of Loyola, the great founder of the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits). Ignatius was born in Spain in 1491, and before experiencing a profound conversion to Christ at the age of 30, he was a soldier in the Spanish army.

During a battle against the French at Pamplona, Ignatius’s leg was struck and broken by a cannonball. As he recuperated in his bed at home, he began to read the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. As he read, he noticed something happening in his heart: he felt himself drawn to Christ and he desired to imitate the saints that he was reading about. This time of recuperation was a defining moment in his life, and from that point on he devoted his life to Christ and to spreading the fire of God’s love to all people he encountered.

One of the great methods of prayer that Ignatius proposed for spiritual growth was the daily examen. In fact, still today, priests in the Society of Jesus are asked to set aside fifteen minutes twice a day in order to pray the examen. But what exactly is the daily examen and how does one pray it?

Many of us are probably familiar with what is traditionally called the examination of conscience. This examination consists of a prayerful review of the good and the bad that I have done during the day. The problem with this prayer is that so often it is too self-focused. For Ignatius, the daily examen was meant to be so much more than just what I’ve done well or not so well; the examen is all about God’s action in our daily lives. Ignatius believed that by being attentive to God’s action in our daily lives we can more easily discern the direction in which he is leading us.

How does one pray the daily examen? Ignatius proposed the following way* (see footnote:
• Transition: I become aware of the love with which God looks upon me as I begin this examen.
• Step One: Gratitude. I note the gifts that God’s love has given me this day, and I give thanks to God for them.
• Step Two: Petition. I ask God for an insight and a strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.
• Step Three: Review. With my God, I review the day. I look for the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that God has given me this day. I also look for those that have not been of God. I review my choices in response to both, and throughout the day in general.
• Step Four: Forgiveness. I ask for the healing touch of the forgiving God who, with love and respect for me, removes my heart’s burdens.
• Step Five: Renewal. I look to the following day and, with God, plan concretely how to live it in accord with God’s loving desire for my life.
• Transition: Aware of God’s presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the examen.

The spiritual fruit that we reap from praying the daily examen is a deeper attentiveness to God’s action in our lives. We also grow in the spirit of gratitude because we take time to give thanks for the many blessings the Lord gives us everyday. We develop a sensitivity of heart to God’s graces and we desire to respond more completely to his will. The daily examen is a wonderful way to discern God’s will in our lives. Where is God leading you? What vocation is he calling you to? Of this Ignatius was certain: if you set time aside everyday to examine God’s action in your life, you will come to see more clearly what he is asking of you and where he is leading you. And it’s always a good idea to take the advice of a saint.


*I have borrowed this section verbatim from The Examen Prayer by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, (Crossroad: New York, 2006), p.25. I highly recommend this book.

Fatima and Eternal Life

On Thursday, July 19, I returned from a very blessed trip to Portugal. The majority of time was spent on pilgrimage in Fatima; however, we also were able to tour some other parts of that beautiful country. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Fatima, I highly encourage you to go. It is one of the most peaceful and prayerful places I have ever been. For those who don’t know the story of Fatima, it was ninety years ago this year when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children six times from May to October proclaiming a message of prayer and penance. Over the years, it has become one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world.

Matthew Kelly, a young Catholic author and speaker whose books and talks I have come to enjoy, said that he travels to Fatima each year “to find answers.” His sentiment became a reality for me as I left for Fatima in the midst of a very painful experience. In June, I wrote about My Father’s Day Gift and how two students from Rhode Island College called me on that day to wish me a Happy Father’s Day. Two days before I left for Fatima, one of those students, Vicky Cadorette, died at the age of 20. Vicky was a spiritual daughter to me. Her death was sudden, and all of us who knew and loved her are still deeply grieving.

A priest possesses a real fatherly affection for the people that the Lord has entrusted to his care. Vicky was one of those people in my life. And the bottom line is that it has been one of the most painful experiences of my life. But, in a beautiful way, it has been a real experience of spiritual fatherhood: a father weeps and mourns when he loses one of his children.

As painful as this time has been, however, I would not trade spiritual fatherhood for anything in the world. The Lord is so good that he allowed me to be at Vicky’s bedside in the hospital to absolve her from her sins and to give her the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before she died. I was able to spend time with her family, and I was able to spend time in silent prayer by her side. Even though she was unconscious, I know she received grace from the sacraments and prayer, and I know that she is now with the Lord.

Faith and prayer sustain us during difficult times, and over the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time in prayer pondering God’s sometimes mysterious ways. During this particular time, I have come to a deeper appreciation for the Communion of Saints. The truth is, we still have a relationship with those who have died. I know that Vicky is with the Lord; therefore our friendship continues. I know she is praying for us.

For some mysterious reason the Lord brought me to Fatima two days after Vicky’s death and it was there that I experienced the Lord’s peace in a profound way. During difficult times, we are often robbed of peace. But with faith in the Lord, we can experience peace even in the midst of tragedy. Only with faith is it possible to grieve and at the same time to have hope and joy.

Catholic priests are called to proclaim a message of hope and salvation. Those who die in the Lord are alive in him forever. Death is not the end, but the beginning. If I were not a priest I would not have known Vicky Cadorette; and all who knew her were blessed by her life. As a priest, as a spiritual father, the Lord used me to bring her the sacraments at the end of her earthly life to prepare her for Eternal Life. For this, I am forever grateful.

Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace, and may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.