Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As I promised in last Sunday’s homily, I am sharing one of the most beautiful prayers of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which I used to reflect on the gospel.
“Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All I have and call my own You have given to me. To You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace. That is enough for me.”
The heart of this prayer is simple: give your will to God.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we remember the young boy who offered Jesus his five loaves and two fish. It was not much by human standards, yet because he placed it into the Lord’s hands, it became enough to feed thousands. God does extraordinary things with ordinary gifts that are freely surrendered to Him.
The same is true for us. Sometimes we may feel that our talents are limited, our strengths are small, or our lives are ordinary. Yet the Lord is not asking us to give Him what we do not have. He asks us to place into His hands what we do have—our time, our gifts, our struggles, and above all, our human will.
Just as the boy offered his five loaves and two fish, we offer God what is most truly ours, our will. He receives it, multiplies it for the praise and glory of His name, for the good of others, and for our own sanctification. In His hands, even our small yes becomes grace for many.
As we celebrate the Eucharist this Sunday, let us place ourselves completely into the Lord’s hands and pray with St. Ignatius: “Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All I have and call my own You have given to me. To You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace. That is enough for me.”
My brothers and sisters, I invite you to make this prayer your own. Say it each morning, as a simple offering of your whole day to the Lord.
May the Lord guide each one of you on the path of sainthood.
With Blessings,
Fr. Gabriel Barrera.