"It is in the heart of man" that "the decisive battle is fought," said the Archbishop of Munich and Freising in his homily on the second Sunday of Advent, "where to go, what I recognize, what is my goal, where I am orienting myself and what is my contribution to the great project of God that he has taken up with the world, in that of the Incarnation of his Son."

St. Michael's Church, he said, was built for this purpose, "so that the Jesuits work here for the salvation of all people, for hope for all people." To understand the Jesuit spirituality that has its place here, he said, it is necessary to start from the "spiritual path of realizing that Jesus really means me myself and that I can decide." "Where is my place, where do I want to be, where do I belong? I cannot delegate that to instances and institutions," Marx said. Referring to the contemplation of the Incarnation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Marx explained that "we look to a God who fundamentally wants the salvation of all people" and who sets out to "save the world, not to judge, not to corrupt, not to accuse, but to save."

Peter Canisius

In his homily at Vespers in the afternoon, the actual Provincial recalled the first German Provincial, St. Peter Canisius, who was born and died exactly 500 years ago, when St. Michael's was consecrated. Canisius had been the focus of the celebration of the handover of St. Michael's Church to the Jesuits 100 years ago, and with his motto "Persevere!" he continues to be an orientation and inspiration for pastoral work today. In pastoral care it is a matter of searching for traces of the divine life in the world and in people, said Father Bernhard Bürgler SJ. "Passing on faith in Jesus Christ, looking for life, divine life in people, tracing it and helping it to unfold." For this, he said, the "grace of perseverance" is needed!

The Society of Jesus had been based in Munich since 1591. St. Michael's was consecrated in 1597 and given to the Jesuits. With the suppression of order the in 1773, the church reverted to the founder, first the Elector, then the King of Bavaria. St. Michael became court and garnison church. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, eventful stations followed as a church of the Order of Malta and various brotherhoods. Since 1917 the Society of Jesus was again admitted in the German Reich after the ban of the Jesuits enacted during the Kulturkampf. Already since 1903 some Jesuits were active in Munich. Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber lobbied for the Jesuits to return to St. Michael's and handed the church back to them on December 4, 1921.