The First Principle and Foundation: a fundamental spiritual teaching of Loyola

The goal of our life is to live with God forever.

God who loves us, gave us life.

Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into

    us without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts of God,

    presented to us so that we can know God more easily

    and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all of these gifts of God

    insofar as they help us develop as loving persons.

But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives,

    they displace God

    and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance

    before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice

    and are not bound by some obligation.

We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,

    wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.

For everything has the potential of calling forth in us

    a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this:

I want and I choose what better

    leads to the deepening of God's life in me.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises