Oh, my God, I want to love you
Not that I might gain eternal heaven
Nor escape eternal hell
But, Lord, to love you just because
you are my God.
Grant me to give to you
And not to count the cost,
To fight for you
And not to mind the wounds,
To labor and to ask for no reward
except the knowledge
that I serve my God.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was the founder of the Society of Jesus (known commonly as Jesuits) of the Roman Catholic Church. This passage is published in Easwaran’s spiritual anthology, “God Makes the Rivers to Flow.” The audio recording is by Eknath Easwaran’s wife, Christine Easwaran.