We do not have to go far to find God’s will.  This is the message from the first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.  Moses is trying to lead his people and trying to help them understand the nearness of God to them.  “For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you.  It is not up in the sky, that you should say, ‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’”

This was what St. Ignatius of Loyola also discovered on his recuperation bed.  After he had been injured in battle, hit in the leg with a cannon ball, and was carried back to his home in Azpeitia, Spain, he had a lot of time to spend in bed.  His name at that time was Iñigo, and he had enjoyed a reputation as a valiant and vain solider.  He wanted to read stories about chivalry and romance, but instead the only books on hand were a life of Christ and a book about the lives of the Saints.  He then had two fantasies.  One of these was about the things he always fantasized about, which was winning the hand of a beautiful woman, and embellishing his own image and vanity.  The other fantasy was about doing what the saints did—doing great things for God.  Both fantasies made him happy.  But he noticed an important difference:  after some time, the fantasies about winning the hand of a woman left him empty, while the fantasies about doing great things for God left him peaceful and joyful.  

Iñigo determined that God was in those fantasies about doing great things for others, and that God was not in the fantasies about his own ego.  This formed the kernel around his principles of discernment and finding God’s will: look to your heart, to the things that truly fill you with you joy and peace.  That is where God is!

We Jesuits of San Diego had the true privilege of traveling to Spain, to retrace the steps of Ignatius, our Founder.  My highlight was celebrating mass in the very room where Iñigo experienced the nearness of God in his own heart.  May all of us in these challenging times stay close to God who is near to us, in our hearts. 

Hi, I’m Claudia Halley. I was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, and moved to this city 32 years ago when I married my husband, Robert, who’s from San Diego. We’ve been blessed with two daughters who now live and work in New York.             I’ve worked in Catholic education for over ten years, and it’s something I truly believe in. To me, it’s more than academics, it is about forming students with strong values and character that can truly make a difference in the world. My lifelong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has always guided me, and it’s one of the reasons I felt called to join this Parish community.                                                                               I recently accepted the role of Major Gifts Director to help bring resources into the parish and the school, to help this community to thrive, and to help open doors for our students.                                                                                                               I’m so grateful to be part of such a vibrant and welcoming environment, and I look forward to meeting many of you!

Hello fellow parishioners, my name is Natalie and some of you may know I am the Director of Faith Formation. Before becoming a Director, I had been a Catechist at our parish for 4 years. For the past year, I have also been part of the young adult leadership team helping plan events for those between the ages of 18-39. I am excited to continue serving our families, youth and catechists who will help some of you flourish in your relationship with God and I look forward to another year of joy with the young adult ministry 

Claudia

Natalie

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Mary Acosta

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