"No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the furthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest.”

               ~St. Ignatius of Antioch

For Reflection:

Dear Lord, St. Ignatius of Antioch was ready to be torn apart by a lion than to be separated from you. In light of his zeal, my own fervor is so weak. Give me courage and strength to proclaim your Truth no matter the cost. Heal me in those areas where I am weak. Fill me with your divine love. And renew me in faith and hope. I pray this in the name of Jesus my Lord. Amen.

St. Ignatius, pray for me.

In Conversation with God Vol 5 - Ordinary Time: Wks 24-34 Francis Fernandez-Carvajal Click Here For More Information: TWENTY-NINTH WEEK: MONDAY 49. THE HOPE OF OUR LIFE 49.1 Temporal goods and supernatural hope. Our heart has to be set on Heaven. If the Lord is truly our hope, we will be happy with many goods or with few goods. Increased possession is not the ultimate goal of nations nor of individuals. All growth is ambivalent. It is essential if man is to develop as a man, but in way it imprisons man if he considers it the supreme good, and it restricts his vision. Then we see hearts harden and minds close, and men no longer gather together in friendship but out of self-interest, which soon leads to oppositions and disunity. The exclusive pursuit of possessions thus become an obstacle to individual fulfilment and to man's true greatness. Both for nations and for individual men, avarice is the most evident form of moral underdevelopment. Our hope in God will be extinguished if we give in to a disordered love for possessions. Let us resolve not to fall into this foolish error. There is no greater treasure than to live in Christ.