“[The Church] was not instituted by human means; and it is not through them that it can be preserved and increased, but through the grace of the omnipotent hand of Christ our God and Lord. Therefore in him alone must be placed the hope that he will preserve and carry forward what he designed to begin for his service and praise and for the aid of souls.”
Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Now-Pope Francis) here quotes Constitutions of the Society of Jesus 812 while leading an retreat for bishops in Spain following the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Join me today in offering a prayer for young leaders like Linnea Smith of Alpha USA and fellow servants like John Savage of Artios who celebrate birthdays this weekend. They resolve to place their hope for the preservation and increase of ministry solely in the grace and provision of Almighty God. May God bless them for their commitment to Him, and their prayers and generosity toward me.