In the words of a great soldier:
Take and receive, O Lord, my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess, You have given me. I surrender it all to You, to dispose of as You will. Grant me only Your Love and Your Grace — with these I will be rich enough. I demand nothing more.
— St. Ignatius of Loyola
I note that these weapons, which I formerly used against Him in battle, and which I now lay at His feet to be used as He wills, are not like swords and guns, which might be transfered to some other soldier. No, they are part of me and can’t be used without me. They include the very best of me, that which defines the real me — I have nothing of value, I am nothing, apart from the gifts I return to God. So, in surrendering, I commit to a state of total servitude. I am the bondsman of the Lord — as Mary declared at the Annunciation celebrated today.
Yet I also note that, in surrendering all to Him, including my liberty and my will, I commit to active service with all my talents according to choices that do not proceed fundamentally from myself!
Martin Ahrens 