St. Ignatius of Loyola

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits).  As a young man, he dreamed of a glorious military career and winning the hand of a princess in marriage.  That all changed when he was gravely injured during the Battle of Pamplona in 1521.  His recovery was long and excruciating.  During that time, he read what was available, a book on the life of Christ and another on the saints.  He began to realize the different way that thinking about Jesus and the saints, on the one hand, and worldly ambitions, on the other, affected his soul.  I’d like to highlight a few of the contributions he made to my life and to the life of the Church.

1.      The Adventure of Faith.  Ignatius did not lose his adventurous, courageous spirit when he converted.  Rather, the object changed to that of the glory of God.  He consecrated himself to the Mary by making a prayer vigil and presenting his sword to her, as knights would dedicate themselves to the service of a lord.  He used military images in his meditations.  But he realized that the real enemies are Satan and sin, and the real weapons are spiritual.  He became a soldier of Christ who embraced high ideals and self-sacrifice. 

2.      A Deep Interior Life.    Some of the greatest aspects of Christian spirituality were improved and disseminated by St. Ignatius and the Jesuits.  These include the Spiritual Exercises (a 30-day silent retreat with specific themes and methods), Discernment of Spirits (rules for understanding whether one is being influenced by God or the enemy),  Composition of Scene (a way of praying using your imagination), and the Examen, a daily review of how God is working in your life and what you need to improve.

3.      A Flexible Rule.  Until the Jesuits, religious orders would have fixed times that they would pray in common and otherwise lived with a pretty fixed daily routine.  The rule formulated by Ignatius prioritized the needs of the particular mission that each Jesuit had and was more flexible in the time and manner of prayer and community life.   

The newly formed Jesuits took the lead in the Counter Reformation (the Church renewal following the Protestant Reformation), spread the faith to distant lands as missionaries, and provided high quality education for High School and University students. 

I first encountered Jesuits while I was an undergrad at Georgetown University.  Many have commented on how the Jesuit order has lost its way in the last 50 years by abandoning orthodox Catholic teaching.   There is truth to this observation.  However, I was blessed to be mentored by three faithful sons of Ignatius, Frs. Tom King and James Schall, who have passed away, and Fr. William Watson, who led retreats at Georgetown.  It was during one of these five-day silent retreats that I first heard the call to the priesthood. 

May St. Ignatius intercede from heaven for his spiritual sons and for the whole Church, that we may do everything Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God).