From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
July 31st - Saint Ignatius of Loyola
(1491-1556)
Saint Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Society of Jesus (the
Jesuit Order), and author of the =E2=80=9CSpiritual Exercises.=E2=80=9D Sai=
nt Ignatius
was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential
foundations of Christianity=E2=80=94the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, ad
majorem Dei gloriam=E2=80=94=E2=80=9Cfor the greater glory of God.=E2=80=9D=
He was a man who
recognized that ordinary gifts can be used in spectacular ways by God,
when an individual allows the Master Artist to use His powers and
creativity in them. Saint Ignatius of Loyola is remembered for saying
the words to those in his spiritual direction: "Go forth and set the
world on fire."
Born I=C3=B1igo de Recalde de Loyola, Ignatius grew up in Loyola Castle, Azpeitia, Guipuzcoa, Spain. The youngest of twelve children, at age 16
he was sent to Castile where he served as a page at the court of the
provincial governor. There, he developed a taste for the fine things
that royal court life had to offer, including gambling, which he
pursued with abandon. Taken with wearing the uniform of the royal
soldier, Ignatius enlisted in the army of the Duke of Nagara. Having
served well in the army, he was promoted to officer, and led his
troops well. At the siege of Pamplona in 1521, he was seriously
injured by a cannon ball hitting his legs, breaking one and wounding
the other. His convalescence lasted nearly a year, after which time he miraculously recovered, although would walk with a painful limp for
the remainder of his life. During that time, out of desperation and
boredom, Ignatius read about the life of Jesus and other lives of the
saints. "Since these men were as human as I am," he noted, "I could be
as saintly as they were."
There, in his convalescent bed, Ignatius began the process of
conversion, examining both his intellect, but also his emotional
reactions to the call of the Holy Spirit. One night as he lay awake,
as his autobiography recounts, he "saw clearly the image of Our Lady
with the Holy Child Jesus, at whose sight for a notable time he felt a surpassing sweetness, which eventually left him with such a loathing
for his past sins, and especially for those of the flesh, that every
unclean imagination seemed blotted out from his soul, and never again
was there the least consent to any carnal thought." Leaving his
worldly desires for fame and love behind, Ignatius strove to live a
life worth of sainthood.
After his recovery, instead of re-enlisting as a soldier, Saint
Ignatius traded his uniform for the clothing of a beggar. He traveled
to Montserrat in Barcelona, visiting the famous portrait of Our
Blessed Mother in the Benedictine monastery, and there he hung his
sword before her according to the rules of chivalry. He would serve to
defend her honor, and by extension, the honor of the Church, with his
life.
Ignatius spent the next year living wherever he could=E2=80=94at the
monastery, dependent on the kindness of monks; in shelters for the
indigent; mostly in a cave near a place called Manresa. During the
year, he spent his time in contemplation of Christ, deep prayer,
fasting and mortification, and discipline. It was here beside the cave
that Saint Ignatius received what he referred to as both a =E2=80=9Cvision= =E2=80=9D
and an =E2=80=9Cawakening.=E2=80=9D While he never revealed the content of = the vision,
it seems to have been an encounter with God as He really is so that
all creation was seen in a new light and acquired a new meaning and
relevance, and experience that enabled Ignatius to find God in all
things one of the characteristics of Jesuit spirituality. His year at
the cave near Manresa was also a time of great trial for him, and he
began writing his most famous work, the Spiritual Exercises-- a manual
for training the soul to grow nearer to God.
Drawn to the Holy Land, Ignatius began a pilgrimage to Rome and to
Jerusalem, riding from Jaffa to Jerusalem on a donkey. While he wished
to remain in the Holy City, anti-Christian sentiment drove him out,
and he returned to Europe. There, he undertook a rigorous study of
theology and classics in Spanish and French universities, so that he
might enter the priesthood. Ending his studies in Paris, upon
ordination as priest, Ignatius, along with six students, founded the
great Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits.
During this time, he was imprisoned in Salamanca on suspicion of
heresy. To a friend who expressed sympathy for his imprisonment,
Ignatius wrote: =E2=80=9CIt is a sign that you have little love of Christ i=
n
your heart, or you would not deem it so hard a fate to be in chains
for His sake. All Salamanca does not contain as many fetters,
manacles, and chains as I would gladly wear for love of Jesus Christ.=E2=80= =9D
The early members of the Jesuit order took vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience, joining themselves to the Lord through the Spiritual
Exercises. In the rules established for his order, obedience was to be
the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his
men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all
members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for
the salvation of souls. While Ignatius most wished to return to
Palestine to preach Christianity to the peoples there, war prevented
this. Out of obedience to Pope Paul III, members of the order were
sent throughout Europe, and Ignatius, elected Superior General,
remained behind, building the order, establishing universities,
hospitals, and centers of service to the poor, sick, and needy. During
this time, the Jesuits grew from a handful of men to over 1,000
throughout Europe, working as missionaries and in universities and
other schools.
Luis Gon=C3=A7alves de Camara, one of his closest associates wrote of him, =E2=80=9CIgnatius was always rather inclined toward love; moreover, he seem=
ed
all love, and because of that he was universally loved by all. There
was no one in the Society who did not have much great love for him and
did not consider himself much loved by him.=E2=80=9D
Toward the end of his life, Ignatius was plagued by stomach ailments,
intense pain in his legs, and near blindness=E2=80=94all of which he bore without complaint. Saint Ignatius died of a fever on July 31, 1556,
with the name of Jesus on his lips. His relics are buried in the
Church of the G=C3=A9su in Rome, at the center of Jesuit institutions of education and formation to this day. His accomplishments, left both in
his writings, and in the continuing work of the Jesuits, survive him.
Saint Ignatius took a group of ordinary men, put them under the power
of God, taught them how to listen to His voice, and formed a new sword
for the Church of unequalled sharpness and strength. The daring
projects of the Jesuits were carefully considered, using the virtue of
prudence or wisdom, before drawing upon an almost superhuman courage
and endurance to implement the designs they believed were planned by
God. Saint Ignatius was willing to risk all, suffer, and deny himself
to obediently follow the will of God. We, like the Jesuits, pray today
to have the strength to listen for the Will of God, and to find Him in
all aspects of His glorious creation!
-- by Jacob
Quotes of Saint Ignatius of Loyola:
"God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in
this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us
is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth,
so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in
heaven.
All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be
the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more
surely, and serve him more faithfully.
As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar
as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God.
But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal,
we ought to let them go."
=E2=80=9CThere are very few people who realize what God would make of them =
if
they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed
by his grace.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CIf God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint.
And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give
you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to
kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ
used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity."
Bible Quote:
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord,
keep watch over the door of my lips! [Psalm 141:3] RSVCE
<><><><>
Prayer of Saint Ignatius Loyola
Teach us, Good Lord,
To Serve Thee as Thou deservest;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)