Fine Lines

St. Ignatius in his mediation on "The Two Standards," points out the clear choice of choosing "Christ's Standard" or choosing "Satan's Standard". St. Ignatius in trying help us makes Christian choices made a mediation on "The Three Pairs of Men". He further develops the idea in his writings on "The Discernment of Spirits" where he shows us how to look past a present choice and look to its consequences, for the an "angel of darkness" may, masquerade as "angel of light."

He finishes of his Spiritual Exercises with a list called, "Rules of Right Thinking, With The Church," were Ignatius clarifies good manners and conduct conducive to Salvation within the Catholic Church. Ignatius compiled a chronological list of fifty New Testament meditations mirroring the Church calender, in order to remove disorder and replace it with order. This whole process of Ignatian Spirituality, is to grow in unity with Christ on this earth, in order to praise him with the saints and angels in the next life in Heaven.

With all that being said, Pope John Paul II spoke of "not being afraid." Do not be afraid to go to Mass, because it will offend your Protestant father-in law. Do not be afraid to hang a Crucifix on your wall because your own uncle is repulsed by it. Do not be afraid to have a large family, just because your friends surgically remove their reproductive organs. Do not be afraid to invite your fallen away sister to Mass. In the course of a Christians life we are jawed, insulted, gossiped, held back from job advancement because we choose Christ. Christ did not ask us to sit in a room and hide from everyone in order to not offend anyone. The sheer fact that we are Christians is offencive and divisive.

Ignatius gave us another tool "The General Examination of Conscious", so that we may reflect on our day and evaluate it in the light of Christ and if need be, a pricked conscious we may be relieved our sin and reunite fully under Christ Standard. I asked my Jesuit,"How can apply all of this in my life?" he replied, "At any moment we can be Judas or Peter, a Christian life can be a fine line."