Lord, Teach Me

Lord, 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 to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
--a prayer of Ignatius Loyola

As we continue our Lenten journey, this prayer of Ignatius Loyola seems very appropriate. We are to use this time before Easter to prepare ourselves for Easter. What better way to prepare ourselves for Easter than to practice generosity! As we truly practice generosity, I believe it will lead us down the path that Ignatius Loyola has shown us.

Generosity leads us to service; service to giving, giving to fighting (for Jesus, not against our brothers and sisters in Christ!); fighting to toil without seeking rest; and finally laboring for Jesus--not for reward, but simply for the joy of serving Jesus.

This may seem to be a hard path to take, but Jesus reminds us that His yoke is light and that by coming to Him we will find rest. That is the hard part for many to understand. We toil, not because we want rest, but in Jesus we find that rest anyway!

This week, as you prepare yourself for Easter, why not reflect on this prayer of Ignatius Loyola and give generously, fight valiantly, and labor tirelessly for God. Trust me, if you do these things, you WILL experience your best Easter ever!