St Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius who was the founder of the Jesuits was travelling and on his way to military fame until a cannon ball had hit him and shattered his leg. Due to the fact that there were no books on hand during this event, St. Ignatius had spent this time reading about the life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was very deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ had begun. St. Ignatius was able to see the Mother of God in a vision, which led to him going on a pilgrimage to her shrine in Montserrat which is near Barcelona. He remained in that place 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 very long period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples.

Later on in his life St. Ignatius was able to spend the next 11 years of his life in various European universities, and he had studied very hard. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned and St. Ignatius was jailed twice for this reason.

During the year 1534, when he was around the age of 43, he and six others; one of the six was St. Francis Xavier had vowed to live in intense poverty and chastity and decided to go to the Holy Land. If this had become impossible, they decided to vow themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. Four years later St. Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was eventually approved by Pope Paul III, and St. Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general. St. Ignatius was able to found the Roman College, which was intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.

St. Ignatius was a true mystic. St. Ignatius had centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity which was the Trinity, Christ, and the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, which is Ad majorem Dei gloriam which is translated to “for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, obedience was the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love for the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father.

St. Ignatius’ feast day is celebrated on July 31. St. Ignatius is the patron saint of retreats.

Prayer to St. Ignatius

St. Ignatius help us to serve Christ and bring more people to Him. Help us to be obedient to Christ’s calling and help us to fulfill it to the best of our ability.

Amen

St. Ignatius pray for us

St. Joseph pray for us

May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.

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Works cited

Information (read from, not taken):

Franciscan media. “Saint Ignatius of Loyola. ”Saint Ignatius of Loyola | Franciscan Media. Accessed July 31, 2021.

Images:

Saint Ignatius of Loyola. July 31, 2021. Saint Ignatius of Loyola - Google Search.