Editor’s note: Throughout July, we’re hosting 31 Days with St. Ignatius, a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. In addition to the calendar of Ignatian articles found here, posts on dotMagis this month will explore the Ignatian Year theme, “To see all things new in Christ.”
Our world has been turned upside down the last two years. Communities broken. Institutions no longer as trustworthy as we once thought. Schedules and comforts we thought we could count on were gone.
Sometimes we wondered what we believed anymore. Sometimes we spun around, flailing, looking for something to grab onto. And sometimes we forgot to keep our eyes on Jesus.
The theme for this Ignatian Year is a timely one: “to see all things new in Christ.” It is a call to the Church to “allow the Lord to reveal to us a new enthusiasm, interior and apostolic, a new life, new ways of following Christ.” (John Carroll University, “The Ignatian Year: To See All Things New in Christ”)
A new enthusiasm. Yes, we need this.
How do we see the world through Christ?
St. Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth that when we become Christians, we die to our old selves. We no longer look at the world the same way. We are new creations. (2 Corinthians 5)
When we spend more time with Jesus, we start to see the world through his eyes. We begin to see a bigger plan, a bigger picture. We begin to see others with more compassion, as those made in the image of God.
Paul prayed this for the Church at Ephesus, that the Christians would begin to see through those new eyes of Christ. He prayed that they would see with the eyes of their hearts. When we spend time with Jesus in prayer and in his Word, we begin to understand more of his heart. Paul prayed that Jesus would give the Church a “spirit of wisdom and revelation as [we] come to know him,” (Ephesians 1:17) that we would know he has called us to hope.
This is a good prayer for us too. We need all of this: new eyes to see like Jesus, new enthusiasm, and new ways to follow Christ.
We can see like Jesus by knowing him. How can we see as he does if we do not spend time with him?
I think about how well my husband knows me. (He’s still an absolute mystery to me, but that’s another story.) He knows my cream, sugar, and coffee ration better than I do. He knows what kind of video I’d like to watch in the evening, based on my mood. And he knows how I will react to a conflict with a friend, an encounter with a stranger, or a joke with our sons. My husband sees these things through my eyes.
As we know Jesus better, we can see how he would react to these things too. As we spend time with Jesus, we like him more and more, and we want to be like him.
I want to get to know Christ even better, to hold onto him instead of flailing, and to see through his eyes so that I might have hope.
Take a moment of gratitude today in 31 Days with St. Ignatius with Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, and the Reimagining the Ignatian Examen Flip Book: Gratitude.
Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.
What a powerful piece of writing. Indeed institutions and programs appear crumbling like a pack of cards. The Holy Father has been saying, ‘humanity needs a global reset’. It appears we are right into it. Marching ahead with the flag of faith, we need to welcome what all is coming to heal and renew God’s creation.
I think of Seattle and I think of rain. I’m here on the other side of the country in Maine. So its nice to connect. The key word from your share was “hope”. Lots going on in this world of ours. Doubt creeps in. Is this God’s plan or the inevitable outcome to human frailty. Don’t know. I pray. Atheists I know scoff at this relationship I have with God, with Jesus. This kind of disdain seems to have gotten bigger. These are spiritual issues, my spiritual issues. So “hope” is a blessing. Making a full-court press on someone who scoffs at prayer is very often a frustrating endeavor. Perhaps, God will touch their hearts the way he touched mine. Thanks for your message.