Abiding in the Heart of Christ

An interview with Fr. Joe Laramie, author of Abide in the Heart of Christ: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with Saint Ignatius Loyola

(photo: Register Files)

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jesuit Father Joe Laramie. Although I am a lay Dominican, I still revel in opportunities to speak with Catholics of various other orders and congregations, and to learn about their particular charisms. In fact, when I chose my two religious names as a lay Dominican, in the interest of “ecumenism,” I chose St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, and Bl. Basile Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

As we spoke, Fr. Laramie told me, “Yes, you have a foot in many charisms — the Dominicans, the Jesuits and the Congregation of Holy Cross. I gave a homily at Saint Louis University last fall, and mentioned that we can be ‘buffet Catholics,’ but not ‘cafeteria Catholics.’ We can’t pick and choose which moral laws to follow (sorry, all Ten Commandments apply!), but we can choose from a variety of saints, charisms and devotions, to find a mix that works for us.”

Fr. Laramie currently serves as the campus minister at Saint Louis University in Missouri, which is where he earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in communications.

After further studies at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and Boston College, he was ordained to the priesthood in 2011.

Fr. Laramie has participated in numerous ministerial endeavors, including serving the homeless in Minnesota and Oregon, working with hospital patients in Illinois, and teaching at Regis High School in Aurora, Colorado, and at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Fr. Laramie has conducted missionary efforts to Mayan villages in Belize, and has been a preacher and spiritual director at the White House Jesuit Retreat in Saint Louis. He has written extensively and has appeared as a guest on EWTN and Relevant Radio.

We discussed his new book Abide in the Heart of Christ: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with Saint Ignatius Loyola. I asked Fr. Laramie why he would recommend that someone read his book, and he said, “A word that I would focus on is accessible; maybe some have heard about Saint Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises. Many have attended Jesuit schools or gone on Jesuit retreats. This is an opportunity to access Ignatian spirituality, in a retreat-style setting. I am not simply providing vocabulary terms, or information about what Saint Ignatius did or said, but to provide some support to help people encounter the heart of Christ through Ignatian spirituality. For example, there is a chapter on the Ignatian practice of the Examen. There are exercises in gratitude, seeing where God has been at work in my life. What has gotten in the way of the Lord: my own bad habits, my own sinfulness, etc.? Ignatius focused on God’s action in my life, guiding me going forward. How can I keep receiving his grace, through prayer, the sacraments, love for family and friends, and so forth? I encourage people to take advantage of the Jesuit retreat centers, books like mine, and other opportunities to grow closer to Christ.”

I asked Fr. Laramie what his favorite scriptural passage was, and he said that it was John 15:9 — “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” He said that “the last line could also be read as, ‘abide in my love,’ or ‘abide in my heart’; thus, the title of my book. The emphasis is on the Father’s love for his Son, and Christ’s love for me. All that I have to do is receive this love, and stay (abide) there. Easier said than done, right!? It is an exercise, a process of prayer, gratitude, and reflection to abide in his heart. But it is a path of joy and peace, amidst the challenges of life.”

“Abide in his heart” — indeed, the path of joy and peace. St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!