As strange as it may seem, St. John's letter in the readings for today's Eucharistic Liturgy has prompted a review of St. Ignatius Loyola's "Examination of Conscience" as laid out in the Spiritual Exercises.
What brought this about? The Evangelist makes clear that we best come to know Jesus when we know and live the life of "his commandments." As we begin to consider thoughts of a new year and the annual "game" of resolutions, we might turn to our spiritual lives. Perhaps we should examine whether our spiritual lives have suffered during this past year because we lack a sense of the importance of the role the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus should have in our lives.
When Vatican II and the social revolution that occurred in the 1960s, Roman Catholics experienced upheaval in their Church and personal lives. The rigidity of past centuries were quickly tossed out because Catholics liked changes permitting hot dogs on Fridays, for example! Many of us felt a new kind of freedom when that famous "window" of Blessed Pope John XXIII was opened by the Council Fathers. In the minds and lives of many Catholics little was left untouched by the changes.
Since those shaking days, have we not turned away from a true respect for the Commandments? The communal life of the Church and reaching out to those who are different than ourselves -- the poor, the lonely, the sick, the marginalized -- in our society and Church. 0 Unfortunately, so it seems, the Commandments, the laws of the Church and some of Jesus' teachings seem to have been "tossed under the bus" of our forward rolling society and Church.
Today's first reading begins with a rather strong reminder: "The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). And just a few words further in the letter we read: "This is the way we may know we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked" (emphasis mine).
The birth of Jesus is the beginning of a new relationship between God and his people. Here we see how God pours out his love upon all of us, his children. We call it a new covenant. We come to recognize a new reality, a new responsibility if we are to be "in union" with Jesus, if we are "to walk as he walked."
So today we might ask ourselves the following: (1) Do I seriously consider my union with Jesus as made better when "his commandments" are guiding my daily life? and (2) Do I honestly consider my way of life within the "holy family" of the community of believers as guided by "his commandments"?
Tomorrow the reflection will look specifically at Ignatius' proposed practice of the daily Examen.
