Have you ever had that sudden moment of panic when you realize your mobile phone is missing? Your heart skips a beat. You frantically check your pockets. search your bag, retrace your steps, and call your number. For a few moments. nothing else matters. Finding that lost phone becomes your top priority.
But let us ask ourselves a more important question: Do we feel the same urgency when we realize that we are drifting away from God? Does an alarm sound in our hearts when prayer becomes a burden, when sin becomes a habit, or when worldly ambitions push God to the margins of our lives? Or have we become so comfortable that we no longer notice the distance?
St. Ignatius of Loyola knew what it meant to chase worldly glory. As a young soldier, he dreamed of honor, success, and recognition. But after a life-changing injury, he began to see that earthly achievements, however impressive, are temporary. Through prayer and reflection, he discovered a greater purpose: to know, love, and serve God.
One day, Ignatius challenged his friend Francis Xavier with a question that would change his life forever:
“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” Those words echoed in Francis Xavier’s heart until they transformed him from an ambitious scholar into one of the greatest saints and missionaries of the Church.
Today, the same question is addressed to us. We work hard for success. education, wealth, and comfort. But how much effort do we put into caring for our souls? Have we ever stopped to examine the state of our soul? Do we truly believe in heaven, hell, and the judgment that awaits each of us? Or do we live as though eternity does not exist?
St. Ignatius taught that a person must regularly examine his or her conscience and seek God’s will above all else. His life reminds us that no success in this world can compare to the joy of living close to God.
If our mobile phone were lost, we would search until we found it. But if our soul is lost, distracted, or drifting away from God, do we even notice?
May the words of St. Ignatius that transformed St. Francis Xavier also awaken our hearts today: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” May they challenge us to pause, reflect, and return to God before it is too late.
The Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated every year on 31st July. It commemorates the day of his death in 1556 and honors his life as the founder of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus).
-Neville Fernandes (SCC – 15)