Daily Reflections ...

Today, the Church celebrates St Ignatius of Loyola, a master in the Church’s spiritual tradition, a dedicated priest and the founder of the Jesuit order. Ignatius’ journey of coming to know the Lord is a beautiful story of a man falling in love with Christ, undertaking a path of repentance and then serving the Lord with great zeal. Today’s gospel is therefore most apt. Ignatius is one who, having found the treasure in the field or the pearl of great value, gave up all else to obtain this one surpassing good, namely the Kingdom of God.

Core to Ignatius’ teaching was the necessity of pursuing the will of God with purity of heart. Purity of heart, in this sense, means to be undivided in our attention, to pursue the greater good with singleness of mind and heart. According to Ignatius, we should not be attached to earthly goods, nor ought we necessarily reject them. Rather, we should be indifferent to them, desiring them only to the extent that they profit us in obtaining the ultimate good, which Ignatius names as the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. (Cf. The Spiritual Exercises #23).

It is this single-mindedness or purity of heart which drives the protagonist in Jesus’ parable of the treasure in the field and likewise the merchant who pursues and obtains the pearl of great price. In Christ, Ignatius found his treasure, hiding it and protecting it in his heart. Yet, he goes further, because having found this inexhaustible wealth, he exercised great zeal in leading others to discover that treasure for themselves. May we too both seek and find.

by Fr Michael Grace