NOVENA TO ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA - DAY FIVE - JULY 26, 2013 - IN SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE MOST IN NEED

Though from an affluent family himself, Ignatius deliberately chose the path of poverty in order to experience firsthand what the poor went through. This enabled him to reach out to them in a practical and tangible manner. Ignatius was aware in his day that poverty was the result of the selfishness of a few, and so constantly encouraged all those who came in contact with him to live lives of selfless service and thus become witnesses to the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Today, nearly five hundred years after the death of St. Ignatius, we are living in a world that has become even more consumerist than it was at his time, and so are in even more urgent need of the awareness that Ignatius had, namely that it is basically our selfishness which is at the root of poverty, and the separation of the “haves” from the “have- nots”.  Through our own lives and reaching out to those most in need we need like Ignatius to make known to others that is more important to “be more” than to “have more”.

Through the intercession of St. Ignatius we pray for the grace to be aware of our selfishness and desire to have more and realise that what is more important is to be more.

God of the poor and the marginalized, we pray that through the intercession of St. Ignatius of Loyola who himself worked with the powerless, the sick and the needy, we too might have the grace to realize that you are primarily a God of the poor, and then have the courage to reach out to those who are in need. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.