In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius writes, "I call it consolation when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord; and when it can in consequence love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but in the Creator of them all." Often Jesuits are pegged as intellectuals, more driven by head than heart, in comparison with other orders such as Franciscans. But clearly Ignatius was a person of both deep thinking and deep feeling.

It is said that Ignatius cried tears of consolation at the celebration of his first Mass as a priest, and often at Mass after that (to the point where his doctor advised avoiding coming to tears so frequently as it was bad for his eyesight!). The celebration of the Eucharist should cause some interior movement in the soul for each of us.  Maybe not every time, and certainly manifesting itself in different ways, but Mass should never be just another thing on our checklist of to-do's for the week.

If the celebration of the Eucharist is not a regular source of consolation, this is something we should seriously examine from several perspectives. On one hand, it could be something external, perhaps in the way the particular Mass is being celebrated, that is becoming a preoccupation or somehow obscuring our encounter with God. On the other, it could be something internal, in our own hearts, that is at issue. This is something I personally struggle with, especially a hard heart, so I try to pray the line from Psalm 95, "Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert."

Beyond this personal movement of the soul, the regular celebration of the Eucharist should move the soul of our collective community. It should work to break down barriers, build unity, reveal injustice and hard truths, and build up disciples who go out to serve the Gospel with their lives. This is that communal spirit of goodwill that seems to enliven our conversations after Mass. But sometimes we let it stop at the doors of the church and don't take it out with us to the rest of the world.

Let us pray that, with the intercession of St. Ignatius, and led by his example and wisdom, we may experience the consolation of encountering our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist as individuals and as a community, that he moves our souls to bring his great love to everyone we meet and everything we do.