My Contemplative Heart: First Principle and Foundation

Any who have walked the journey of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, are familiar with the term ‘first principle and foundation’. It is where one begins every spiritual journey–naming what you are certain to be true and what you desire to grow toward. St. Ignatius wrote his first principle and foundation that generations of Jesuits have prayed with. Here is how I re-wrote it for myself:

God caused love to have color, scent, texture, and sound in order to let love move, breathe, and exist outside of God, while expressing God more clearly.

I am part of that love–moving, breathing, and existing among other love shapes in order to know First Love.

All this love exists to call me to deeper knowledge of the First Love and must be used as such. There is nothing greater than the First Love, nothing more beautiful, nothing more desirous than First Love.

May my love light always lead me closer to First Love.

Recent Posts

Outside the Village

Aug 23, 2021 |

It’s the parking spot we were sure we’d remember, then spent 15 minutes hunting for only to realize it was one aisle away the whole time. It’s a person we were looking intently for in the crowd only to find them less than ten feet away. When our senses are...

Before, During, and After Employment

Jul 20, 2021 |

“You have received instructions about [Mark]; if he comes to you, welcome him.”  Colossians 4:10    The Teammate Who Left A trained expositor, philosopher, and observer, Paul’s fingerprints can be found all over Christian history. For both good and ill, Paul’s...

Permission Granted

Jul 13, 2021 |

I set out to write this week about healthy exits from ministry.  I wanted to write about churches partnering with their ministers who were leaving to help them land softly at whatever was next.  I wanted to write about positive steps a (former) minister can take to...