St. Ignatius offers the "First Principle and Foundation" at the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises.  It articulates the interior freedom necessary in order to follow God’s will. Ponder on its words, as they lead us to consider “putting first things first.” The rest will follow. That is because when our focus is on the Giver and not on the gifts, our lives are ordered in a way to receive the blessings that God has already meant for us. We just have to be ready for them!

Life & Ultimate Purpose

The goal of our life is to live with God…forever. God, who loves us, gave us life. Our loving response allows God’s life to flow into us without limit.

Everything Is Gift

Everything in this world are gifts from God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.

To Make Us Loving People

As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts insofar as they help us to become loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and hinder our growth toward our goal.

In God We Trust...Regardless

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short

one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.

Our Ultimate Desire

Our only desire and our one choice should be: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in me.