That We All May Be One

“For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have granted me the heritage of those who fear your Name.” Psalm 61:5

“For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1)

Praying with those lines from today’s psalms, I could not help but be reminded of St. Ignatius of Loyola whom we also remember today. This founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and author of “The Spiritual Exercises” knew what it meant to live the “vowed” life and to “wait in silence” for God. Anyone who has made an Ignatian retreat, using the Exercises, will know too how powerful such “waiting” can be.

Ecumenically, I have worked with a number of Jesuits over the years and, I must say, like with most rabbis I have met, I have rarely failed to be impressed with their intellect and their faithfulness. Indeed, a “society of Christian rabbis” is not a bad way to characterize the Jesuits! Their theological contributions are legion. 

“O God, by whose grace your servant Ignatius of Loyola, kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.” (Book of Common Prayer, page 249)

This entry was posted on July 31, 2007 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.