Contemplating Action with St. Ignatius of Loyola
“He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola
Who is he?
St. Ignatius of Loyola is well known for founding the Jesuit religious order and writing the Spiritual Exercises. Before he was a devout Catholic, he was a wealthy nobleman and soldier. He was badly wounded in battle. During his long recovery, he experienced a deep conversion while reading about Jesus and the Saints. After recovering, he gave up his wealth and status and spent a year in prayer discerning God’s call. He then enrolled at the University of Paris to study theology and eventually become a priest. He met the other founding members of the Jesuits at the University of Paris. He became the first Superior General for the order. His spirituality can be described as “contemplatives in action.”
Our call to be “Contemplatives in Action”
Arguably, this is the spirituality we are called to as Catholic women in the workforce. We are called to an active life, but that activity must be centered on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We must continually discern where God wants us and what he is calling us to do. As St. Ignatius once said: “It is dangerous to make everybody go forward by the same road and worse to measure others by oneself.”
If I am honest, this constant discernment is sometimes exhausting. Sometimes I wish God told me the plan, the steps I will need to take, and the ultimate destination. However, I know he is asking me to trust him and trust the process. I know I must walk by faith and discern along the way. The daily examen that St. Ignatius recommended is one of the ways I try to ensure I am walking in the right direction. Taking the time to review my day with God every evening allows me to discern if I am still on the right path. It allows me time to contemplate where I followed Him and where I turned away. It also gives me the chance to talk to Him about why I stumbled and resolve to do better tomorrow.
As much as I would like to know the full plan and destination, I also know that I am not ready for the plans He has in store for my life. I am constantly reminded that God is preparing my heart, mind, and body to be ready for what is next when the time comes: one step, one breath, one moment at a time.
What are the next steps?
As we all continue to discern where we are called and what each day should hold, it is easy to get wrapped up in overthinking or over-discerning. Sometimes we simply need to take action, trusting that the Holy Spirit will let us know when we need to pivot. St. Ignatius once said:
“God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven. All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go.”
We can rest assured that if our actions are oriented toward love and service, we are on the right track. Our ultimate goal is to get to heaven and eternal union with God. That is why He created us. As the Author of all things, He wants us to respond to Him through love and service as His daughters. That love and service, however, is going to look different for each one of us, because He created us unique and unrepeatable.
All things God created are good. He cannot create something “bad;” that is against His nature. Even if something feels secular, if within it you are serving and loving God or others, it can align with God’s plan. We must ensure that we are still putting God at the center of our life and that we are growing closer to him amid whatever we are doing.
Once something becomes selfish or directs us away from God, we need to “let [it] go.” An active prayer life allows us to notice the shift and discern how to let it go and what to do next. It is not necessarily what we do that is important, but how we do it.
Final Thoughts
God created you unique. He gave you gifts, talents, and passions that help direct you to the people you are called to serve and love. I encourage you to have a conversation with God about your mission field: who is He asking you to serve? It might not make sense to other people, but God’s ways are not always our ways. When we begin to actively talk to Him daily and actively contemplate what He is asking us to do, amazing (and sometimes scary) adventures start. He’s got you. He knows what you need and who needs you. Let Him take the wheel and see what happens. What do you need to do to live as an “active contemplative” in your life?
Erica Mathews is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional with Financial Counseling Associates, a family-owned financial planning and investment management firm. She helps relieve financial stress with organization, automation and a plan, helping others manage their finances so they can live as God is calling them to. She lives in Colorado with her husband and four kids; they love CrossFit, rock climbing, gardening, and exploring. Erica’s email is erica@fca-inc.com