Principle and Foundation

Web Posted: September 22, 2003

At the heart of the Spiritual Exercises is freedom: freedom to love, freedom for service and freedom to be in deep relationship and dialogue with the God who leads each of us toward life. St. Ignatius' First Principle and Foundation sets a context of freedom and relationship, out of which Ignatian spirituality, Jesuit education and, indeed, Marquette's own mission spring.

Reflecting on the Principle and Foundation can recall for us the university's underlying values and the humble spirit that all Jesuit education requires.

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

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

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

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in a balance before all of these created 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 only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God's deepening his life in me.

 –St. Ignatius as paraphrased by David L. Fleming S.J.

David L. Fleming is a former provincial superior of the Jesuits in the Missouri province and the editor of Review for Religious, a bimonthly journal of spirituality.