First, I need to wish everyone a very happy and blessed 2024! I haven’t posted in a while, but as they say in Ecclesiastes, there’s a time and place for everything, and the past few months just haven’t been a time to blog! 🙂
At Christmas dinner this year I remembered Matt with a prayer he learned while attending Jesuit middle & high school, learning to become a “Man for Others”. It’s the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Matt recited that prayer every day for seven years, and afterwards as well. Matt was one of those individuals for whom religion wasn’t simply something you turned to when things got tough. He lived his faith in good times as well as bad, which in my opinion was one of the big reasons he was able to cope so well with his cancer diagnosis.
The more time I spend on this Earth the more I’m convinced our purpose is to do God’s will – whatever that may be. Whether it’s a long life or short, easy or difficult, a life aligned with God’s purpose will be one well-lived.
And for those of you who learned a bit of Latin growing up, AMDG is Latin for Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, i.e. “For the greater glory of God”. It’s the motto of the Jesuits.
Lord Jesus,
Teach me to be generous;
Teach me to serve You as You deserve;
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not seek to rest,
To labor and not seek reward,
Except for knowing that I do your will.