At the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Principle and Foundation as a mission statement to guide everything he did and to guide retreatants through the Exercises.
About this time last year when I was in A Retreat in Daily Life, I wrote my own Principle and Foundation. It seems fitting to re-state it as a mission statement for this journal.
I am being created in the image of God in that I can know, choose, and love. God seeks to have a direct, loving friendship with me.
All of creation is sacramental and reflects God’s truth and love. The purpose of creation is to reflect God’s love back to him and to the rest of creation. My purpose is to love God and to love others.
All of creation is within God and of God, but is not God. Mistaking creation’s reflection of God for God will lead me astray from my purpose in life. Things and people point toward God and his glory like a signpost pointing the way toward Truth. When I cling to things or people, I cling to the signpost and am prevented from moving toward God and his truth because I think I already have it. When I cling to things or people, I restrict my freedom to love and serve. Therefore, I must be detached from things and people in a loving and gentle manner in such a way that I am free to reflect God’s love to them.
All is gift. I must remain open to receive, not take. In receiving, I should be thankful, responsible, and generous to share God’s gifts.
The choices I make should always lead me into a deeper friendship with God and lead me to a better reflection of his love through me to others.
Dei Gratia, “By the Grace of God”. All is gift. All glory comes and returns to God through creation. I am only the wire through which the electricity of God flows. I should be so lucky. Dei Gratia