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MEDITATION POINTS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

🧘‍♂️ I. MEDITATION POINTS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

Text of the Principle and Foundation (paraphrased):

> "Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. All other things on the face of the earth are created for man, to help him in attaining the end for which he is created..."



A. Who is God?

1. God is the source and end of all creation.


2. God is infinite love, desiring a personal relationship with each one of us.


3. God is present in all things—guiding, sustaining, and inviting.


4. God is the Creator, and we are the created—called not to possess but to praise.


5. God is freedom and desires our free, loving response.



B. Who am I?

1. I am a created being, made out of love and for love.


2. I am created to know, love, and serve God—and through that, find my deepest joy.


3. I am a pilgrim, not an owner—called to use created things only insofar as they lead to God.


4. I am not the center, but I am loved by the One who is.


5. My life’s worth is not in status or success but in my orientation toward God.




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🌿 II. DEEP REFLECTION

TITLE: “To Praise, To Love, To Be Free”

> “God is not found in the noise of the world, but in the silent surrender of the heart.”



I remember walking through the silent paths of Shenbaganur one early morning during my tertianship. The mist covered the trees like a soft whisper of heaven. I had just begun my long retreat, and in my heart echoed the words of the Principle and Foundation. "You are created to praise, reverence, and serve God..."

But who is this God I am to praise?
He is not just a doctrine I studied, nor merely the voice in ancient Scriptures. He is the quiet Friend walking beside me in my restlessness. The God of Ignatius is deeply personal—a God who enters into the human story, who watches over the sparrows and weeps at the tomb of Lazarus.

“God is love,” says St. John.
Not a vague affection—but a burning, transformative force that gives meaning to everything I touch.

And then the second question: Who am I?
I once thought I was my achievements—my degrees, my ministries, the number of people I helped. But in silence, God taught me: You are not your roles, but your relationship with Me.

I am like the clay in the hands of the Potter.
Like the boat waiting for wind.
Like the deer that longs for running streams (Psalm 42).


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✍️ A POEM: The Mirror of God

> I looked for You in thunder's voice,
In signs and wonders loud—
But You were in the gentlest breeze,
And not amidst the crowd.

I searched to find who I must be,
In trophies, dreams, and flame—
Yet all I heard You softly say:
"Be still, I call your name."

You made me not to chase the world,
But walk in freedom's light—
To praise, to serve, and in Your gaze
Be known, be loved, be right.




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🌠 ANECDOTE: THE KING WHO CALLED

Ignatius imagines in the Spiritual Exercises a king who calls his people to join his noble mission. The King offers no riches, only participation in his cause.

I was once invited to serve in a ministry I didn’t desire. My ego wrestled: “Is this how they see me? Just a support worker?” But that very moment, I felt the quiet echo: What matters is not the role, but the Caller. The true dignity lies in serving the mission, not in being seen.

Like Ignatius before the Black Madonna of Montserrat, I laid down my sword—that is, my desire to be "somebody"—and embraced being a servant loved by God.


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💬 QUOTES TO MEDITATE

“Take Lord, receive, all my liberty…” – St. Ignatius

“Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” – St. Augustine

“He who is not busy being born is busy dying.” – Bob Dylan

“Love consists in mutual sharing of goods.” – Ignatian Contemplation

“You are precious in my eyes, and I love you.” – Isaiah 43:4



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🌅 III. INVITATION FOR PRAYER

How am I using created things—do they lead me to God or away?

Do I define myself by God’s love or by what I do?

Can I live in the freedom of detachment, choosing only what leads me closer to my Creator?

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