Ignatius of Loyola
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Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona. He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned.
It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises . He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. Ignatius spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods . In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others—one of whom was Saint Francis Xavier—vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general. When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens, and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society . Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, 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 professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls. |
Quotes
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“Love shows itself better through deeds than by words.”
-Ignatius of Loyola “Be more zealous than you are now. Learn to understand the times. Expect him to come who is above time, the timeless one, the invisible one who became visible for our sake, the untouched one, the one beyond suffering who came to suffer for us, who in every way endured for our sake.” -Ignatius of Loyola “Love consists in sharing what one has and what one is with those one loves. Love shows itself in deeds more than in words.” -Ignatius of Loyola "If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy." -Ignatius of Loyola "For those who love, nothing is too difficult, especially when it is done for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ." -Ignatius of Loyola "Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive...that is where God is." -Ignatius of Loyola "There is no better wood for feeding the fire of God's love than the wood of the Cross." -Ignatius of Loyola "When the devil wants to attack anyone, he first of all looks to see on what side his defenses are weakest or in worst order; then he moves up his artillery to make a breach at that spot.” -Ignatius of Loyola "As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God." -Ignatius of Loyola "It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.” -Ignatius of Loyola "The man who sets about making others better is wasting his time, unless he begins with himself." -Ignatius of Loyola "After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone." -Ignatius of Loyola "We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.” -Ignatius of Loyola Prayers O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things. -Ignatius of Loyola Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will. -Ignatius of Loyola Take, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will. Give me only Your love and Your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask. -Ignatius of Loyola Here I am, O supreme King and Lord of all things, I, so unworthy, but still confiding in your grace and help, I offer myself entirely to you and submit all that is mine to your will…I declare that this is my intention, my desire, and my firm decision: Provided it will be for your greatest praise and for my best obedience to you, to follow you as nearly as possible and to imitate you in bearing injustices and adversities, with true poverty, of spirit and things as well, if it please your holiest Majesty to elect and accept me for such a stage of life. -Ignatius of Loyola |
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