St Ignatius Mission Prayer and Explanation

Heavenly Father, like St Ignatius of Loyola, we are all pilgrims, walking the camino of life.

This verse reflects the parish identity. We are an Ignatian parish, and like St Ignatius, are all pilgrims, walking the camino of life.

Camino is the Spanish word for path, and has typically been used to describe routes taken by pilgrims. The Camino of Santiago de Compostela is probably the most famous, in North West Spain.

St Ignatius, a Spaniard, took the camino from the village of his birthplace, near Azpeitia, to Manresa, a town near Barcelona, in 1522. It was 640 km and, of course, at Manresa, he wrote the spiritual exercises.

A pilgrimage can also be a deeply spiritual journey of stillness, solitude and reflection.

And indeed, many of us take, or are on, our own spiritual journeys, or caminos, of life.

Along the journey, help us find You in ourselves, others, and all situations for Your greater glory.

The second verse reflects the parish goal (and is part of Ignatian spirituality), which we are all seeking along the journey of life.

May our lives be built on breaking the Word and celebrating the Sacraments.

The Sacraments in this verse refer to all seven sacraments.

The Eucharistic table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord. So when we attend Mass, the Word is broken at the Eucharistic table, just as the Bread that is also broken.

Grant us the grace to wholly participate in, and enliven, our Sunday Eucharist.

As the previous verse refers to all the Sacraments, in this verse we specifically mention the Eucharist. Further, we specifically mention the Sunday Eucharist (which also includes the 6 pm sunset mass on Saturday) as this is the weekly mass all parishioners celebrate. We want everyone to wholly participate and foster a greater sense of community and inclusiveness at Sunday mass.

“Wholly participate” and “enliven” are drawn from the principle of fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations.

Let us foster peace and harmony, and seek reconciliation with You and all Creation.

This verse refers to reconciliation with God, others, and all creation, everything around us, so that we generate a harmonious environment.

Let us build a joyful and welcoming parish community where no one is forgotten or left estranged.

This verse is about communion of people and community. Creating a church where everyone is welcome, and we actively welcome everyone. Where we welcome the youth, young adults, the aged, the disabled, migrant workers, the divorced, single parent families, those civilly re-married, and those with same-sex attractions. As Pope Francis said in the Joy of the Gospel, “[t]the Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. … Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.” (Evangelii Gaudium 47)

To reconcile the estranged is embedded in the Formula of the Institute (the foundational document of the Society of Jesus first approved in 1540 by Pope Paul III, and confirmed in 1550 by Pope Julius III).

Indeed, corporal acts of mercy include "visit the sick/imprisoned" or "ransom the captive" while spiritual acts include "forgiving injuries" and "bearing wrongs patiently". All these come into reconciling the estranged.

Let us extend our hand to the poor, the marginalised and the vulnerable.

This is a Jesuit charism. A "charism" is a special grace or talent granted by God to a special person, not for one’s personal sanctification, but for the benefit of others. God granted charisms to St. Ignatius that now help to distinguish the Jesuits.

A Jesuit is in essence a missionary, meaning that he is sent (or “missioned”) by his superior to work in areas which are deemed to be in the greatest need. These may be where there are intellectual needs (by providing education in schools, colleges and universities), physical needs (among the disadvantaged or those living in poverty) or spiritual needs (through the provision of retreats and spiritual direction).

Note that poor means spiritual poverty, as well as material poverty. And part of the apostolic works (works which Jesus has asked us to continue) is to seek justice for all God’s creatures, especially the poor and marginalised. And this extends to those with needs, both locally and abroad.

Help us nurture a loving environment for people to encounter Christ Your Son daily, and experience ongoing conversion.

This verse brings together the environment we are trying to create, and implicitly includes the New Evangelisation.

Under the New Evangelisation, there is a call for the laity to proclaim the Gospel with new ardour, methods, and expression (St John Paul II) to those people who have not yet heard the proclamation or encountered the Risen Christ, and also for ongoing conversion.

Jesus is the Lord of the encounter, and He is the one who invites us to be with Him.

Ongoing conversion refers to those who already have heard the Good News, and those who may have been initiated through baptism into the church but, for many and varied reasons, are inactive in the practice of the faith.

It is ongoing conversion, because the conversion process never stops; we are daily sinners, and therefore, there is always need for conversion in our lives.

It also means both “turning toward” Christ, and “turning away” from that which keeps us from living the Christian life.

May the Holy Spirit empower us for mission, radiating Your love to all who hunger and thirst for You.

AMEN.

And finally we ask the Holy Spirit to empower us as a church on mission, and to radiate His love, that we are so fortunate to feel, to all who are seeking him.

The Church is missionary because that was the way of Christ. The mission of Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all people has been handed onto the Church and individual believers, guided by the Holy Spirit.