Becoming free entails a journey towards simplicity. There are so many things in life that we want to hold on to – a fulfilling job; economic security; supportive friends; good health; the esteem of those around us; a sound reputation; and life itself. St Ignatius points out that some of the things we desire are unhelpful attachments, and he is especially wary of those that shape all the decisions we make and effectively rule our lives.  These ‘disordered attachments’ are big obstacles to freedom. It takes time, grace and guts to sort through the messiness of our various attachments. We struggle to let go of some of these crutches in order to embrace our deepest desires, the ones Michael Paul always encouraged people to find, the desires that come from God. By getting in touch with these desires within us, we end up making God’s desires our own, and in that way we arrive at freedom.

Excerpted from Wisdom at the Crossroads: The Life and Thought of Michael Paul Gallagher SJ by Thomas G. Casey SJ