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Description
St. Ignatius of Loyola icon
© Cecilia Lawrence
August 24th, 2018
4.5 x 6 inches
Ink, watercolor, gold leaf

“Of what use is it to man to gain the whole world,
if he pays for it by losing his soul?”
~ Matthew 16:26

“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.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

“O my God, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as I should,
to give without counting the cost,
to fight without fear of being wounded,
to work without seeking rest,
to labor without expecting any reward,
but the knowledge that I am doing your most holy will.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

“He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

I have depicted St. Ignatius of Loyola in the garb of a sixteenth-century Jesuit priest, with the symbol of the Jesuits in gold over his breast (the sun rays around the IHS monogram of the Name of Jesus surmounted by a cross with three nails beneath it). He holds a quill pen in his right hand and a book of his writings in the other, with the motto of the Jesuit Order (“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” – “For the Greater Glory of God”) in gold emblazoned on the cover.

:+: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAINT :+:

Saint Ignatius of Loyola (October 23rd 1491 – July 31st 1556 A.D.), known also as Íñigo López de Loyola was the youngest son of Don Beltrán Yañez de Oñez y Loyola and Marina Saenz de Lieona y Balda, and the youngest of their thirteen children. His mother died soon after his birth, and he was brought up by María de Garín, the local blacksmith's wife. Initially his family had thought to furnish him with a career in the Church so that he was sent to learn to read and write with other boys his age. However, this did not appeal to the young Ignatius. When he was about seven years old, he became a page in the service of a relative named Juan Velázquez de Cuéllar, who was a treasurer of the kingdom of Castile. As a page, the young Ignatius learned the military arts of horsemanship, sword-fighting, and excelled in other military training. He loved military exploits and stories of great feats of daring and chivalry. He aspired to be a great knight and wanted to imitate the lives and deeds of Amadís of Gaul, El Cid, Roland, and Arthur’s knights of Camelot. His greatest desire was for glory and renown. He also learned the arts of being a courtier and statesmen.

By the time he was seventeen, Ignatius was an accomplished duelist and swordsman. His time at court had turned him into a polished and courteous cavalier, though he also engaged in the intrigues of courtly love and indulged in gambling. According to some biographers, he was arrogant, foppish, sensitive to slights, a good dancer and even a womanizer. He loved music, and even composed some poems, but his own natural inclinations had a more militant bent. At about this time his father also died. When he was 18 he joined the army of Duke Antonio Manrique de Lara, later the Spanish Viceroy of Navarre. Ignatius fought valiantly under the Duke and participated in a number of battles where he gained much experience as a soldier. However, when de Lara’s brutal treatment of the Navarrese caused them to rebel (and invite a French force to come in and drive the Spanish out), Ignatius fought in a siege surrounded by hostile forces. On May 20th, 1521, a French-Navarrese force attacked the citadel of Pamplona where the Spanish soldiers had taken refuge. The Spanish commander wanted to surrender the citadel, but Ignatius’ brave example so inspired the men that they kept up the fight. As Ignatius was bravely rallying his fellow soldiers to fight valiantly, a Navarrese cannonball shattered his legs and incapacitated him. The Spanish resistance flagged and they quickly surrendered the fortress. Ignatius was made a prisoner but was treated well by his noble captors who had a French surgeon mend his legs. The French and Navarrese soldiers were so impressed by Ignatius’s courage that they gave him an escort and a litter to transport him back to his father’s castle in Loyola.

After their father’s death, his older brother Martín García was heir to the Loyola estates and he and his wife Magdalena de Araoz were living at the castle when Ignatius was carried back there. The journey home had jostled his legs to such an extent that they had to break his legs again upon reaching the castle. Ignatius later referred to this surgery as a “butchery” but endured the pain so bravely that onlookers could only recognize his inner state from watching his clenched fists. He almost died after the procedure; he lost his appetite, and his family thought that he was likely to die. He made his confession and received the last sacraments, but eventually he began to improve on June 29th 1521. After several weeks of intense pain, the bones in both legs had begun to knit together. However, he was not satisfied with how the bones had begun to mend. The surgeons had set it so that the knee bone protruded hideously and caused one leg to be much shorter than the other. Ignatius still aspired to be a great and dashing cavalier and felt that this deformity would be an unbearable humiliation, so in his own words he “asked the surgeons whether it could not be cut away. They told him that it could be cut away, but that the pain would be greater than all he had already suffered, because it was now healed and it would take some time to cut it off. He determined, nevertheless, to undergo this martyrdom to gratify his own inclinations.” After this third excruciating surgery which he also bore with remarkable fortitude, he lay idle in bed for many weeks, with a leg brace that constantly pulled on his leg to stretch it. He quickly grew bored and so he asked his sister-in-law Magdalena de Araoz if they had any books dealing with chivalry and knightly deeds. The only books she could find were four volumes of the Life of Jesus Christ by a Carthusian named Ludolph of Saxony and a volume of the Lives of the Saints, also called the Flos Sanctorum.

He decided to read the books to pass the time and soon he noticed a difference between how he felt when he day-dreamed about his usual thoughts of glory and heroism and the new thoughts of following in the footsteps of saints like Francis of Assisi and Dominic. “He did not consider nor did he stop to examine this difference until one day his eyes were partially opened and he began to wonder at this difference and to reflect upon it. From experience he knew that some thoughts left him sad while others made him happy, and little by little he came to perceive the different spirits that were moving him...” Thus began the earliest reflections of his great Spiritual Exercises, in which he wrote down his observations on spiritual discernment. As he continued to read he began to regret his earlier dreams of worldly honor as vain and worthless. A deep compunction for his former way of life wracked his soul, and soon a fierce desire to be a champion for God enflamed him. It was at this time that another powerful event in his conversion took place: “One night, as he lay awake, he saw clearly the likeness of our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus, at the sight of which he received most abundant consolation for a considerable interval of time. He felt so great a disgust with his past life, especially with its offenses of the flesh, that he thought all such images which had formerly occupied his mind were wiped out. And from that hour until August of 1553, when this is being written, he never again consented to the least suggestion of the flesh.”

Now that a desire for sanctity enflamed his soul, he was determined to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land so that he could “kiss the earth where our Lord had walked” and live as a hermit. Once he recovered enough to walk, he did just that. But first, he began by making a pilgrimage to the Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat in the mountainous region of Catalonia in March of 1522 when he was about 30 years old. On his way there, he was riding a mule when a fellow traveler caught up with him. The man was a Moorish Muslim, and the two of them eventually began talking about the Virgin Mary. The Muslim maintained that it was impossible for Mary to have remained a virgin while giving birth to a child, and Ignatius hotly defended Mary’s perpetual virginity. They argued back and forth and Ignatius began to grow murderously angry at the Moor. As the Moor rode on, Ignatius reined in his mule and introspectively meditated on his anger. He felt that he had inadequately defended Mary’s honor and he wanted to revenge the insult done to the Virgin by riding after the Moor and killing him. As he fought with his impulsive anger, he at last wearied of his confusion and decided to let his mule make the final decision. If it followed after the Moor of its own accord, he would kill the man. If not, he would just continue on his journey. Ignatius related this story later to edify his hearers, “in order that it may be seen how God was dealing with his soul, still blind, though greatly desirous of serving Him in every way it knew how.” He realized that much of his former pride and violent hot temper still remained.

When he at last arrived at the Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat, Ignatius intended to formerly renounce his former way of life and strive after sanctity. First, he minutely made an examination of his entire life with a careful tabulation of all of his past sins over the course of several days. He then made a general confession and spent all night in a knightly vigil before the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat. He hung up his sword and dagger before the shrine and exchanged his rich clothes with the sack-cloth of a beggar. Ignatius then traveled to Manresa where he lived for a year as a beggar and did the meanest jobs at the hospital. He also freely taught the children of Manresa the catechism. In the meantime, he lived in a cave where he gave himself up to a life of strict fasting, prayer, and asceticism. In his Autobiography, he related his first spiritual trial that assaulted him: “There flashed upon his mind the idea of the difficulty that attended the kind of life he had begun, and he felt as if he heard someone whispering to him, "How can you keep up for seventy years of your life these practices which you have begun?" Knowing that this thought was a temptation of the evil one, he expelled it by this answer: "Can you, wretched one, promise me one hour of life?" In this manner he overcame the temptation, and his soul was restored to peace.” He experienced varying cycles of spiritual consolation and desolation, including visions which he later concluded came from the devil, based on the agitation and sorrow they left in their wake. While in his cave, Ignatius also was tormented by terrible spiritual doubts, scruples, fears, and anxieties, and at one point he was even assailed by thoughts of suicide. But he prayed, “O Lord, I will not do anything to offend Thee.” He wrote down all of these experiences in a notebook which later helped him in formulating his Spiritual Exercises which he also began writing. In it, he noted more of his observations on the discernment of spirits based on these oscillations of spiritual desolation and consolation, of which he wrote:
Third Rule. OF SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION. I call it consolation when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord; and when it can in consequence love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but in the Creator of them all. Likewise, when it sheds tears that move to love of its Lord, whether out of sorrow for one's sins, or for the Passion of Christ our Lord, or because of other things directly connected with His service and praise. Finally, I call consolation every increase of hope, faith and charity, and all interior joy which calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of one's soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its Creator and Lord.

Fourth Rule. OF SPIRITUAL DESOLATION. I call desolation all the contrary of the third rule, such as darkness of soul, disturbance in it, movement to things low and earthly, the unquiet of different agitations and temptations, moving to want of confidence, without hope, without love, when one finds oneself all lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from his Creator and Lord. Because, as consolation is contrary to desolation, in the same way the thoughts which come from consolation are contrary to the thoughts which come from desolation.
He eventually left Manresa and traveled to Rome and later on to Venice, from which he sailed to the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims. He landed in Joppa in September of 1523. He rode with the other pilgrims to Jerusalem, as, as he write in his Autobiography: “A noble Spanish gentleman, named Didacus Minez, as the pilgrims came in sight of the city, recommended silence and recollection. All followed his suggestion, and when they saw a monk approaching with a crucifix, dismounted. On beholding the city, Ignatius was deeply affected, and the rest affirmed that they experienced a sort of heavenly joy. He always felt this same devotion whenever he visited the holy places. He decided to remain in Jerusalem, in order to visit the holy places often. However, pilgrims were badly treated by the Muslims who controlled the area, with many being kidnapped to demand ransom and the monks in charge of the Holy Sepulchre were forced to extremities in order to raise money to ransom the captive Christians. Ignatius was determined to stay and live out the rest of his days near Jerusalem, but the Franciscan Provincial forbade him because of the burdensome Turkish oppression of pilgrims. So after visiting the Holy places again, Ignatius departed with the other pilgrims and sailed for Italy, arriving in Venice in January.

Now that Ignatius realized that God didn’t want him to live as a hermit in the Holy Land, he was at a loss as to what to do. Eventually he decided that the best course of action would be to continue his education in Barcelona “in order to be better fitted to save souls.” After various adventures traveling through an area occupied by hostile armies, he made his way to Barcelona where he was generously supplied with the means to study by a lady named Isabel Roser and a teacher named Ardebal. He studied grammar in preparation for university studies under Ardebal, and then was sent to Alcalá to study philosophy, theology, and Latin from 1524. Because a number of people had flocked around him to listen to his discourses on spiritual things, some people had denounced him to the Inquisition and he was made to defend his position before them. After some time where he and some companions were detained in prison, the Inquisition concluded that he was perfectly innocent, and only advised that he wear shoes and dress less like a beggar. Four months later, an anonymous charge was brought up against him and he was again cast into prison; only later he found out that it was because someone had supposed that he had advised some women to go on a pilgrimage to Jaen without the consent of their guardian. He was again set free after the women returned.

He and his companions then traveled to Salamanca. He was again thrown into prison, but after being examined about his theological opinions he was again set free, but was forbidden to define any sins as being mortal or venial until they had studied for an additional four years of theological training. Ignatius felt hampered by this prohibition though, and felt that it made him useless to his neighbor. So he determined to travel to the University of Paris and study theology there. He arrived in Paris in February of 1528 and found lodgings with some fellow Spaniards. His benefactress Isabel Roser had sent him some money to provide him with a means of livelihood during his time in Paris. He gave this money into the hands of a fellow countryman for safekeeping, but later found that the man had spent the money. Ignatius was then forced to beg for his bread on the streets of Paris. He found lodgings in the Hospice of St. Jacques, but it was far from the College of Saint Barbara and the curfew restricted his access to lectures so that he was not often able to get to his classes in time. He knew very little French, and the prerequisites of the curriculum forced him to begin his studies all over again so that some of the first classes he attended as a 38-year-old man was spent being taught alongside children. In addition he had to spend time begging for his food, which detracted from his ability to dedicate himself to his studies. He was advised to seek alms in Flanders with which to support himself for the year, and this advice he followed, even going to England in 1530 which provided him with enough money to continue his studies.

He gave his Spiritual Exercises to several of his fellow students who profited greatly from them. It was at this time that he befriended the Savoyard Pierre Lefèvre (Faber) his roommate, the Navarrese Francis Xavier, the Castilian, Diego Laynez, the Toledan Alfonso Salmeron, the Portuguese Simon Rodriguez and the Spaniard Nicholas Bobadilla. The seven men decided to form a company and consecrate themselves to God by the vows of poverty and chastity, with an additional vow to go to the Holy Land to serve as missionaries and to tend the sick and help Christian pilgrims; but if that proved to be impossible, they pledged themselves to go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the pope. Therefore they went to the crypt of the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre in Paris on August 15th 1534, the Feast of the Assumption and together made their vow after the celebration of Mass. And thus, the Society of Jesus—later known as the Jesuits—was born.

That same year, Ignatius finally obtained his Master’s degree at the age of 43. He applied to a doctorate program but was turned down because of his age and poor health. He became so sick with a stomach ailment that the doctors finally recommended that he go to Spain where his native air might prove more refreshing. He agreed, and left Paris in 1535. Another accusation had made against him to the Inquisition, so Ignatius voluntarily approached the chief Inquisitor and asked hm to pass judgment on the case. The Inquisitor admitted that a charge had been brought, but that he had dismissed it as being frivolous, he then asked Ignatius for a copy of his Spiritual Exercises and praised it highly.

He arrived in Spain and his health improved. He set out to conclude some business for his companions and again fell ill. He then sailed from Valencia to Genoa, and eventually arrived in Venice in December of 1535. He and his companions had agreed to meet in Venice in order to take ship to the Holy Land. He waited for a year in Venice, and in the meantime preached, did good works, and led people through the Spiritual Exercises. His companions eventually met him in in Venice in January of 1537. He sent them to Rome to obtain alms for their trip to the Holy Land. A German named Doctor Oritz proved to be a good fried to them and helped them obtain sufficient alms to support their work. Those who were not priests were ordained priests in Venice on the 24th of June 1537 after renewing their vows. Ignatius said his first Mass on Christmas of 1538 in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Ignatius and his companions waited a year in Venice for a ship to Palestine, but a war had erupted between the Venetians and the Turks and no ships sailed. So according to their vow, they went to Rome to place themselves at the Pope’s disposal.

While waiting for the Pope to return to Rome, Ignatius and his companions established orphanages for homeless children, began schools to teach children, and founded homes for former prostitutes, in addition to tending the sick and preaching the word of God. On September 27th 1570, Pope Paul III officially approved the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was unanimously elected the first Superior General of the order. He wrote the Constitution of the Jesuits to lay out the purpose and charisms of the Order. He also wrote thousands of letters. Ignatius sent his companions all over Europe to found schools, hospitals, universities, and seminaries. The first Jesuit college was established at Messina under the patronage of Juan de Vega, the Viceroy of Sicily. In 1548 Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises were brought before the Roman Inquisition and examined. They were given approval and were published in Latin in 1548. His secretary Father Gonçalves da Câmara asked Ignatius if he would relate his life story. After some thought, Ignatius consented, and from 1553 to 1555 dictated an account of his life to his secretary.

Ignatius fell ill from malaria and died in Rome on July 31st 1556 at the age of 65. He was buried on August 1st in the church of Maria della Strada. In 1568 his body was buried in the Church of the Gesù, which is also the mother church of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome. He was beatified by Pope Paul V on July 27th 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12th 1622. His Spiritual Exercises remain an enduring spiritual classic read and practiced by thousands to this day.

“Ignatius was passionately fond of reading worldly books of fiction and tales of knight-errantry. When he felt he was getting better, he asked for some of these books to pass the time. But no book of that sort could be found in the house; instead they gave him a life of Christ and a collection of the lives of saints written in Spanish.

By constantly reading these books he began to be attracted to what he found narrated there. Sometimes in the midst of his reading he would reflect on what he had read. Yet at other times he would dwell on many of the things which he had been accustomed to dwell on previously. But at this point our Lord came to his assistance, insuring that these thoughts were followed by others which arose from his current reading.

While reading the life of Christ our Lord or the lives of the saints, he would reflect and reason with himself: “What if I should do what Saint Francis or Saint Dominic did?” In this way he let his mind dwell on many thoughts; they lasted a while until other things took their place. Then those vain and worldly images would come into his mind and remain a long time. This sequence of thoughts persisted with him for a long time.

But there was a difference. When Ignatius reflected on worldly thoughts, he felt intense pleasure; but when he gave them up out of weariness, he felt dry and depressed. Yet when he thought of living the rigorous sort of life he knew the saints had lived, he not only experienced pleasure when he actually thought about it, but even after he dismissed these thoughts, he still experienced great joy. Yet he did not pay attention to this, nor did he appreciate it until one day, in a moment of insight, he began to marvel at the difference. Then he understood his experience: thoughts of one kind left him sad, the others full of joy. And this was the first time he applied a process of reasoning to his religious experience. Later on, when he began to formulate his spiritual exercises, he used this experience as an illustration to explain the doctrine he taught his disciples on the discernment of spirits.”
- from the life of Saint Ignatius by Luis Gonzalez

The Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated on July 31st.

St. Ignatius of Loyola is the patron saint of the Society of Jesus, soldiers, those doing the spiritual exercises and going through spiritual retreats, the region of Biscay and the Basque Country, as well as the cities of Antwerp and Belo Horizonte.

O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church
to further the greater glory of your Name,
grant that by his help we may imitate him
in fighting the good fight on earth
and merit to receive with him a crown in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Description
St. Ignatius of Loyola icon
© Cecilia Lawrence
August 24th, 2018
4.5 x 6 inches
Ink, watercolor, gold leaf

“Of what use is it to man to gain the whole world,
if he pays for it by losing his soul?”
~ Matthew 16:26

“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.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

“O my God, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as I should,
to give without counting the cost,
to fight without fear of being wounded,
to work without seeking rest,
to labor without expecting any reward,
but the knowledge that I am doing your most holy will.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

“He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.”
~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

I have depicted St. Ignatius of Loyola in the garb of a sixteenth-century Jesuit priest, with the symbol of the Jesuits in gold over his breast (the sun rays around the IHS monogram of the Name of Jesus surmounted by a cross with three nails beneath it). He holds a quill pen in his right hand and a book of his writings in the other, with the motto of the Jesuit Order (“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” – “For the Greater Glory of God”) in gold emblazoned on the cover.

:+: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAINT :+:

Saint Ignatius of Loyola (October 23rd 1491 – July 31st 1556 A.D.), known also as Íñigo López de Loyola was the youngest son of Don Beltrán Yañez de Oñez y Loyola and Marina Saenz de Lieona y Balda, and the youngest of their thirteen children. His mother died soon after his birth, and he was brought up by María de Garín, the local blacksmith's wife. Initially his family had thought to furnish him with a career in the Church so that he was sent to learn to read and write with other boys his age. However, this did not appeal to the young Ignatius. When he was about seven years old, he became a page in the service of a relative named Juan Velázquez de Cuéllar, who was a treasurer of the kingdom of Castile. As a page, the young Ignatius learned the military arts of horsemanship, sword-fighting, and excelled in other military training. He loved military exploits and stories of great feats of daring and chivalry. He aspired to be a great knight and wanted to imitate the lives and deeds of Amadís of Gaul, El Cid, Roland, and Arthur’s knights of Camelot. His greatest desire was for glory and renown. He also learned the arts of being a courtier and statesmen.

By the time he was seventeen, Ignatius was an accomplished duelist and swordsman. His time at court had turned him into a polished and courteous cavalier, though he also engaged in the intrigues of courtly love and indulged in gambling. According to some biographers, he was arrogant, foppish, sensitive to slights, a good dancer and even a womanizer. He loved music, and even composed some poems, but his own natural inclinations had a more militant bent. At about this time his father also died. When he was 18 he joined the army of Duke Antonio Manrique de Lara, later the Spanish Viceroy of Navarre. Ignatius fought valiantly under the Duke and participated in a number of battles where he gained much experience as a soldier. However, when de Lara’s brutal treatment of the Navarrese caused them to rebel (and invite a French force to come in and drive the Spanish out), Ignatius fought in a siege surrounded by hostile forces. On May 20th, 1521, a French-Navarrese force attacked the citadel of Pamplona where the Spanish soldiers had taken refuge. The Spanish commander wanted to surrender the citadel, but Ignatius’ brave example so inspired the men that they kept up the fight. As Ignatius was bravely rallying his fellow soldiers to fight valiantly, a Navarrese cannonball shattered his legs and incapacitated him. The Spanish resistance flagged and they quickly surrendered the fortress. Ignatius was made a prisoner but was treated well by his noble captors who had a French surgeon mend his legs. The French and Navarrese soldiers were so impressed by Ignatius’s courage that they gave him an escort and a litter to transport him back to his father’s castle in Loyola.

After their father’s death, his older brother Martín García was heir to the Loyola estates and he and his wife Magdalena de Araoz were living at the castle when Ignatius was carried back there. The journey home had jostled his legs to such an extent that they had to break his legs again upon reaching the castle. Ignatius later referred to this surgery as a “butchery” but endured the pain so bravely that onlookers could only recognize his inner state from watching his clenched fists. He almost died after the procedure; he lost his appetite, and his family thought that he was likely to die. He made his confession and received the last sacraments, but eventually he began to improve on June 29th 1521. After several weeks of intense pain, the bones in both legs had begun to knit together. However, he was not satisfied with how the bones had begun to mend. The surgeons had set it so that the knee bone protruded hideously and caused one leg to be much shorter than the other. Ignatius still aspired to be a great and dashing cavalier and felt that this deformity would be an unbearable humiliation, so in his own words he “asked the surgeons whether it could not be cut away. They told him that it could be cut away, but that the pain would be greater than all he had already suffered, because it was now healed and it would take some time to cut it off. He determined, nevertheless, to undergo this martyrdom to gratify his own inclinations.” After this third excruciating surgery which he also bore with remarkable fortitude, he lay idle in bed for many weeks, with a leg brace that constantly pulled on his leg to stretch it. He quickly grew bored and so he asked his sister-in-law Magdalena de Araoz if they had any books dealing with chivalry and knightly deeds. The only books she could find were four volumes of the Life of Jesus Christ by a Carthusian named Ludolph of Saxony and a volume of the Lives of the Saints, also called the Flos Sanctorum.

He decided to read the books to pass the time and soon he noticed a difference between how he felt when he day-dreamed about his usual thoughts of glory and heroism and the new thoughts of following in the footsteps of saints like Francis of Assisi and Dominic. “He did not consider nor did he stop to examine this difference until one day his eyes were partially opened and he began to wonder at this difference and to reflect upon it. From experience he knew that some thoughts left him sad while others made him happy, and little by little he came to perceive the different spirits that were moving him...” Thus began the earliest reflections of his great Spiritual Exercises, in which he wrote down his observations on spiritual discernment. As he continued to read he began to regret his earlier dreams of worldly honor as vain and worthless. A deep compunction for his former way of life wracked his soul, and soon a fierce desire to be a champion for God enflamed him. It was at this time that another powerful event in his conversion took place: “One night, as he lay awake, he saw clearly the likeness of our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus, at the sight of which he received most abundant consolation for a considerable interval of time. He felt so great a disgust with his past life, especially with its offenses of the flesh, that he thought all such images which had formerly occupied his mind were wiped out. And from that hour until August of 1553, when this is being written, he never again consented to the least suggestion of the flesh.”

Now that a desire for sanctity enflamed his soul, he was determined to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land so that he could “kiss the earth where our Lord had walked” and live as a hermit. Once he recovered enough to walk, he did just that. But first, he began by making a pilgrimage to the Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat in the mountainous region of Catalonia in March of 1522 when he was about 30 years old. On his way there, he was riding a mule when a fellow traveler caught up with him. The man was a Moorish Muslim, and the two of them eventually began talking about the Virgin Mary. The Muslim maintained that it was impossible for Mary to have remained a virgin while giving birth to a child, and Ignatius hotly defended Mary’s perpetual virginity. They argued back and forth and Ignatius began to grow murderously angry at the Moor. As the Moor rode on, Ignatius reined in his mule and introspectively meditated on his anger. He felt that he had inadequately defended Mary’s honor and he wanted to revenge the insult done to the Virgin by riding after the Moor and killing him. As he fought with his impulsive anger, he at last wearied of his confusion and decided to let his mule make the final decision. If it followed after the Moor of its own accord, he would kill the man. If not, he would just continue on his journey. Ignatius related this story later to edify his hearers, “in order that it may be seen how God was dealing with his soul, still blind, though greatly desirous of serving Him in every way it knew how.” He realized that much of his former pride and violent hot temper still remained.

When he at last arrived at the Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat, Ignatius intended to formerly renounce his former way of life and strive after sanctity. First, he minutely made an examination of his entire life with a careful tabulation of all of his past sins over the course of several days. He then made a general confession and spent all night in a knightly vigil before the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat. He hung up his sword and dagger before the shrine and exchanged his rich clothes with the sack-cloth of a beggar. Ignatius then traveled to Manresa where he lived for a year as a beggar and did the meanest jobs at the hospital. He also freely taught the children of Manresa the catechism. In the meantime, he lived in a cave where he gave himself up to a life of strict fasting, prayer, and asceticism. In his Autobiography, he related his first spiritual trial that assaulted him: “There flashed upon his mind the idea of the difficulty that attended the kind of life he had begun, and he felt as if he heard someone whispering to him, "How can you keep up for seventy years of your life these practices which you have begun?" Knowing that this thought was a temptation of the evil one, he expelled it by this answer: "Can you, wretched one, promise me one hour of life?" In this manner he overcame the temptation, and his soul was restored to peace.” He experienced varying cycles of spiritual consolation and desolation, including visions which he later concluded came from the devil, based on the agitation and sorrow they left in their wake. While in his cave, Ignatius also was tormented by terrible spiritual doubts, scruples, fears, and anxieties, and at one point he was even assailed by thoughts of suicide. But he prayed, “O Lord, I will not do anything to offend Thee.” He wrote down all of these experiences in a notebook which later helped him in formulating his Spiritual Exercises which he also began writing. In it, he noted more of his observations on the discernment of spirits based on these oscillations of spiritual desolation and consolation, of which he wrote:
Third Rule. OF SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION. I call it consolation when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord; and when it can in consequence love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but in the Creator of them all. Likewise, when it sheds tears that move to love of its Lord, whether out of sorrow for one's sins, or for the Passion of Christ our Lord, or because of other things directly connected with His service and praise. Finally, I call consolation every increase of hope, faith and charity, and all interior joy which calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of one's soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its Creator and Lord.

Fourth Rule. OF SPIRITUAL DESOLATION. I call desolation all the contrary of the third rule, such as darkness of soul, disturbance in it, movement to things low and earthly, the unquiet of different agitations and temptations, moving to want of confidence, without hope, without love, when one finds oneself all lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from his Creator and Lord. Because, as consolation is contrary to desolation, in the same way the thoughts which come from consolation are contrary to the thoughts which come from desolation.
He eventually left Manresa and traveled to Rome and later on to Venice, from which he sailed to the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims. He landed in Joppa in September of 1523. He rode with the other pilgrims to Jerusalem, as, as he write in his Autobiography: “A noble Spanish gentleman, named Didacus Minez, as the pilgrims came in sight of the city, recommended silence and recollection. All followed his suggestion, and when they saw a monk approaching with a crucifix, dismounted. On beholding the city, Ignatius was deeply affected, and the rest affirmed that they experienced a sort of heavenly joy. He always felt this same devotion whenever he visited the holy places. He decided to remain in Jerusalem, in order to visit the holy places often. However, pilgrims were badly treated by the Muslims who controlled the area, with many being kidnapped to demand ransom and the monks in charge of the Holy Sepulchre were forced to extremities in order to raise money to ransom the captive Christians. Ignatius was determined to stay and live out the rest of his days near Jerusalem, but the Franciscan Provincial forbade him because of the burdensome Turkish oppression of pilgrims. So after visiting the Holy places again, Ignatius departed with the other pilgrims and sailed for Italy, arriving in Venice in January.

Now that Ignatius realized that God didn’t want him to live as a hermit in the Holy Land, he was at a loss as to what to do. Eventually he decided that the best course of action would be to continue his education in Barcelona “in order to be better fitted to save souls.” After various adventures traveling through an area occupied by hostile armies, he made his way to Barcelona where he was generously supplied with the means to study by a lady named Isabel Roser and a teacher named Ardebal. He studied grammar in preparation for university studies under Ardebal, and then was sent to Alcalá to study philosophy, theology, and Latin from 1524. Because a number of people had flocked around him to listen to his discourses on spiritual things, some people had denounced him to the Inquisition and he was made to defend his position before them. After some time where he and some companions were detained in prison, the Inquisition concluded that he was perfectly innocent, and only advised that he wear shoes and dress less like a beggar. Four months later, an anonymous charge was brought up against him and he was again cast into prison; only later he found out that it was because someone had supposed that he had advised some women to go on a pilgrimage to Jaen without the consent of their guardian. He was again set free after the women returned.

He and his companions then traveled to Salamanca. He was again thrown into prison, but after being examined about his theological opinions he was again set free, but was forbidden to define any sins as being mortal or venial until they had studied for an additional four years of theological training. Ignatius felt hampered by this prohibition though, and felt that it made him useless to his neighbor. So he determined to travel to the University of Paris and study theology there. He arrived in Paris in February of 1528 and found lodgings with some fellow Spaniards. His benefactress Isabel Roser had sent him some money to provide him with a means of livelihood during his time in Paris. He gave this money into the hands of a fellow countryman for safekeeping, but later found that the man had spent the money. Ignatius was then forced to beg for his bread on the streets of Paris. He found lodgings in the Hospice of St. Jacques, but it was far from the College of Saint Barbara and the curfew restricted his access to lectures so that he was not often able to get to his classes in time. He knew very little French, and the prerequisites of the curriculum forced him to begin his studies all over again so that some of the first classes he attended as a 38-year-old man was spent being taught alongside children. In addition he had to spend time begging for his food, which detracted from his ability to dedicate himself to his studies. He was advised to seek alms in Flanders with which to support himself for the year, and this advice he followed, even going to England in 1530 which provided him with enough money to continue his studies.

He gave his Spiritual Exercises to several of his fellow students who profited greatly from them. It was at this time that he befriended the Savoyard Pierre Lefèvre (Faber) his roommate, the Navarrese Francis Xavier, the Castilian, Diego Laynez, the Toledan Alfonso Salmeron, the Portuguese Simon Rodriguez and the Spaniard Nicholas Bobadilla. The seven men decided to form a company and consecrate themselves to God by the vows of poverty and chastity, with an additional vow to go to the Holy Land to serve as missionaries and to tend the sick and help Christian pilgrims; but if that proved to be impossible, they pledged themselves to go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the pope. Therefore they went to the crypt of the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre in Paris on August 15th 1534, the Feast of the Assumption and together made their vow after the celebration of Mass. And thus, the Society of Jesus—later known as the Jesuits—was born.

That same year, Ignatius finally obtained his Master’s degree at the age of 43. He applied to a doctorate program but was turned down because of his age and poor health. He became so sick with a stomach ailment that the doctors finally recommended that he go to Spain where his native air might prove more refreshing. He agreed, and left Paris in 1535. Another accusation had made against him to the Inquisition, so Ignatius voluntarily approached the chief Inquisitor and asked hm to pass judgment on the case. The Inquisitor admitted that a charge had been brought, but that he had dismissed it as being frivolous, he then asked Ignatius for a copy of his Spiritual Exercises and praised it highly.

He arrived in Spain and his health improved. He set out to conclude some business for his companions and again fell ill. He then sailed from Valencia to Genoa, and eventually arrived in Venice in December of 1535. He and his companions had agreed to meet in Venice in order to take ship to the Holy Land. He waited for a year in Venice, and in the meantime preached, did good works, and led people through the Spiritual Exercises. His companions eventually met him in in Venice in January of 1537. He sent them to Rome to obtain alms for their trip to the Holy Land. A German named Doctor Oritz proved to be a good fried to them and helped them obtain sufficient alms to support their work. Those who were not priests were ordained priests in Venice on the 24th of June 1537 after renewing their vows. Ignatius said his first Mass on Christmas of 1538 in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Ignatius and his companions waited a year in Venice for a ship to Palestine, but a war had erupted between the Venetians and the Turks and no ships sailed. So according to their vow, they went to Rome to place themselves at the Pope’s disposal.

While waiting for the Pope to return to Rome, Ignatius and his companions established orphanages for homeless children, began schools to teach children, and founded homes for former prostitutes, in addition to tending the sick and preaching the word of God. On September 27th 1570, Pope Paul III officially approved the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was unanimously elected the first Superior General of the order. He wrote the Constitution of the Jesuits to lay out the purpose and charisms of the Order. He also wrote thousands of letters. Ignatius sent his companions all over Europe to found schools, hospitals, universities, and seminaries. The first Jesuit college was established at Messina under the patronage of Juan de Vega, the Viceroy of Sicily. In 1548 Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises were brought before the Roman Inquisition and examined. They were given approval and were published in Latin in 1548. His secretary Father Gonçalves da Câmara asked Ignatius if he would relate his life story. After some thought, Ignatius consented, and from 1553 to 1555 dictated an account of his life to his secretary.

Ignatius fell ill from malaria and died in Rome on July 31st 1556 at the age of 65. He was buried on August 1st in the church of Maria della Strada. In 1568 his body was buried in the Church of the Gesù, which is also the mother church of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome. He was beatified by Pope Paul V on July 27th 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12th 1622. His Spiritual Exercises remain an enduring spiritual classic read and practiced by thousands to this day.

“Ignatius was passionately fond of reading worldly books of fiction and tales of knight-errantry. When he felt he was getting better, he asked for some of these books to pass the time. But no book of that sort could be found in the house; instead they gave him a life of Christ and a collection of the lives of saints written in Spanish.

By constantly reading these books he began to be attracted to what he found narrated there. Sometimes in the midst of his reading he would reflect on what he had read. Yet at other times he would dwell on many of the things which he had been accustomed to dwell on previously. But at this point our Lord came to his assistance, insuring that these thoughts were followed by others which arose from his current reading.

While reading the life of Christ our Lord or the lives of the saints, he would reflect and reason with himself: “What if I should do what Saint Francis or Saint Dominic did?” In this way he let his mind dwell on many thoughts; they lasted a while until other things took their place. Then those vain and worldly images would come into his mind and remain a long time. This sequence of thoughts persisted with him for a long time.

But there was a difference. When Ignatius reflected on worldly thoughts, he felt intense pleasure; but when he gave them up out of weariness, he felt dry and depressed. Yet when he thought of living the rigorous sort of life he knew the saints had lived, he not only experienced pleasure when he actually thought about it, but even after he dismissed these thoughts, he still experienced great joy. Yet he did not pay attention to this, nor did he appreciate it until one day, in a moment of insight, he began to marvel at the difference. Then he understood his experience: thoughts of one kind left him sad, the others full of joy. And this was the first time he applied a process of reasoning to his religious experience. Later on, when he began to formulate his spiritual exercises, he used this experience as an illustration to explain the doctrine he taught his disciples on the discernment of spirits.”
- from the life of Saint Ignatius by Luis Gonzalez

The Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated on July 31st.

St. Ignatius of Loyola is the patron saint of the Society of Jesus, soldiers, those doing the spiritual exercises and going through spiritual retreats, the region of Biscay and the Basque Country, as well as the cities of Antwerp and Belo Horizonte.

O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church
to further the greater glory of your Name,
grant that by his help we may imitate him
in fighting the good fight on earth
and merit to receive with him a crown in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.