St. Ignatius Loyola:
Pilgrim of Faith
Part I: Who Was Ignatius Loyola?
The World of St. Ignatius
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The Renaissance…
--recovery of
classicism
--strong current of
humanism
--the discovery of the
individual
The World of St. Ignatius
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Age of Discovery...
– exploration, East and West
– establishment of colonies for trade and resources
– rise of nation states and middle class
– new cultures and peoplesTheto World
evangelize (and learn from?)
of St. Ignatius
The Reformation…
-Church in turmoil, in need of certain reforms
-challenge of contrary “pagan” values with recovery of classicism
-priests often ill-prepared, lacking in virtue
-weak papacy confronted by strong monarchs and nobles
-but a world still largely shaped by faith, belief
Into this world… comes Ignatius…
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from a distinguished (but not very wealthy) Basque family
born 1491, baptized Inigo Lopez
13th and youngest child, raised by older brothers
briefly tonsured but not pious
basic education but no scholar
Azpeitia – now called Loyola
Courtier and Soldier
1506 – placed as a page (age 15) to the treasurer of Castile (Arevalo, near Avila)
Enjoys the life at court – the parties, the ladies, the contacts
1515 – beats up the local clergy over alleged slight to priest brother, taken to court, flees
1517 – joins court of Duke of Najera & Viceroy of Navarre after financial ruin of his former
patron (age 26)
From the “Autobiography”
“Up to his twenty-sixth year he was a man given over to the vanities of the world, and took a
special delight in the exercise of arms, with a great desire of winning glory… He had been
much given to reading worldly books of fiction and knight errantry… (He fancied) what he
would do in the service of a certain lady,…of the verses, the promises he would make her,
the deeds of gallantry he would do in her service…”
March 1521
The Siege of Pamplona
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Defending the fortress against French attack
Ignatius (age 30) rallies the outnumbered Spaniards
Right leg badly shattered by cannonball
Taken home by the French victors in recognition of his gallantry, courage
Leg rebroken and reset
Near death from infection – anointed (and begins to recover) 6/29 (Feast of Sts. Peter and
Paul)
“Knob” cut away for appearance’s sake – one leg shorter than the other
In that house…they could find none of (the books) he was accustomed to read, and so they gave
him a Life of Christ and a book of the Lives of the Saints…
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Bored by the long recovery, the invalid reads his sister-in-law’sVita Christi by Ludolph of
Saxony and Flos Sanctorum of Jacobus da Voragine
• “He conceived some affection for what he found there…”
• “Suppose I should do what St. Francis did, what St. Dominic did?”
Ignatius discovers discernment…
“When he was thinking of the things of the world he was filled with delight, but when afterwards
he dismissed them from weariness, he was dry and dissatisfied…”
“And when he thought of going barefoot to Jerusalem and of eating nothing but herbs and
performing other rigors he saw that the saints had performed, he was consoled, not only
when he entertained these thoughts, but even after dismissing them he remained cheerful
and satisfied…”
Montserrat - 1522
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Ignatius goes by mule to the monastery at Montserrat (near Barcelona)
The incident with “the Moor” and the ass – to kill or not to kill? (Discernment, step #2)
General confession in writing – for three days!
Vigil of Arms at Our Lady’s Altar
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He leaves his sword and dagger at the altar of Our Lady of Montserrat, gives away his
clothes, dresses in a simple pilgrim’s attire
On the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation (March 24, 1522), Ignatius keeps vigil at the
altar with his traveling staff
Unable to go to Barcelona due to the plague, he stops at Manresa on the Cardoner
Montserrat seen from Manresa
Roman Bridge
over River Cardoner
An expected brief stay stretches into 10 months… in a cave along the riverbank, Ignatius learns
to pray…
His notes will become
The Spiritual Exercises…
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Ignatius heads to Rome via Barcelona and receives the Pope’s permission to go to
Jerusalem…
His vision – to go to the Holy Land and to talk to people about God (and discernment of
spirits) as Francis of Assisi and Jesus did before him…
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He manages to travel virtually without money and provisions – trusting only in God’s
providence…
Predictably, Ignatius loves Jerusalem…
But the Franciscans see him as a “loose cannon”
He is forced back to Barcelona under threat of excommunication (Discernment step #3)…
At 33, he studies Latin alongside young lads of 10-12…
Begins studies in logic and physics at Alcala…
Gives Exercises and teaches doctrine…
Acquires three companions…
Examined by the inquisition as
alumbrados…
-After another arrest, Ignatius is told to do 4 years of study before speaking publicly about
matters of faith
-He goes to the University at Salamanca – and again is arrested after a few days… Exonerated
– but again told to do further studies…
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Ignatius decides to go to the finest university in Europe – Paris.
(Discernment Step #4)
He takes up residence at the College de Ste-Barbe – a “non-traditional student”…
At school in Paris, he meets his first real “companions” – including his roommates, St. Francis
Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber…
Discernment Step #5
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Ignatius starts out trying to practice mendicant poverty
He also loves to pray long hours and has many visions
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But… he gradually realizes that practicality dictates begging summers, studying winters!!
And… he also realizes that too much prayer and too many visions interfere with his
studies!! (Asks God to notch it back!)
Ignatius and six companions (“friends in the Lord”), nearing graduation, took vows on
August 15, 1534, in a Chapel in Montmartre
They vowed to spend their lives together for “the glory of God and the good of souls”
At Paris, they studied in modo Pariensis: This included:
– Required courses
– Course sequencing
– Intellectual rigor
– Renaissance
humanism (the classics of Latin and Greek literature) in addition
to medieval Scholasticism
– Classical
rhetoric – the ideal of eloquentia perfecta (although Ignatius himself
was never a great Latinist!)
– Progress at individual pace
The Society of Jesus - 1540
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Society approved by Paul III with bull Regimini militantis ecclesiae (1540)
Broad mission, NOT necessarily schools: “to strive especially for the progress of souls in
Christian life and doctrine and for the propagation of the faith by the ministry of the word,
by spiritual exercises and works of charity, and specifically by the education of children
and unlettered persons in Christianity…”
Questions for Table Discussion
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Did you learn anything new about St. Ignatius Loyola today? What did you find most
interesting?
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From what you know of Jesuits and Jesuit institutions, do you see any possible influence on
their “way of proceeding” from the historical context of their founding – the Renaissance,
the Age of Discovery, the Protestant Reformation?
Did the “modo Parisiensis” impact the Exercises or the Jesuit “way of proceeding”?
Do you see parallels between the world of St. Ignatius and our own world today? Do you
see important differences?
Do you think that conversions like the one experienced by St. Ignatius Loyola can take
place in our world today? Can parish life – both in and out of the church building proper –
invite or foster a kind of conversion?
How do you see parish ministry fitting into the original founding vision Ignatius had for the
Society?
Postscript: The Examen
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A Jesuit (Ignatian) tool for self-awareness and discernment (at the heart of the Exercises
and Ignatian spirituality)
The prayer which Ignatius considered most important and indispensable for Jesuits and
their lay partners
Taught to OSJ parishioners over the years in many programs and many ways
Examen of consciousness…
Formerly called “examen of conscience,” but that too easily becomes making a laundry list
of sins and failings
It is prayer – should begin with an act of reverence and awareness of presence
Grace: “I will ask for what I desire (id quod volo)”
It is about becoming attuned to movements of grace in our lives – and our patterns of
response and non-response
The Consciousness “Examen”
(Fr. George Aschenbrenner, S.J.)
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Prayer for Enlightenment – quiet yourself, recall that you are in God’s presence, ask the
Spirit to let you see your day (and yourself) as God sees it (and you)
Reflective Thanksgiving – review your day with an eye to noticing, appreciating,
savoring, and being grateful for the divine gifts received – great and small, extraordinary
and “ordinary”
Practical Survey of Actions – what has been happening, how has God been working, what
has he been asking? How did God “call” or “invite” you in your interior moods, feelings,
and urges? How did you respond (the focus is on quality of attention and desire more than
“performance”)?
Expression of Sorrow – for lack of honesty and courage in responding to the Lord's call not shame or depression at your weakness, but regret that you have fallen short of God's
awesome desire that you love Him with your entire being
Hopeful Resolution for the Future – a prayer to learn and grow from reflecting on your
experience… and perhaps to “ask for what you desire” (whatever special “graces” you
might need to respond to what is coming up next in your day and/or your life)
Simple Summary of the “Examen” by Father Hank Hilton, S.J.
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Where did you find God, feel God’s presence? [For what are you most grateful?] Say
thanks.
Where did you lose God, lose a sense of God’s presence or imagine God’s absence? [For
what are you least grateful? Could you have changed it, or should it change you?] Pay
attention to why and say sorry.
Looking ahead to what comes next… what do you want/intend to do about what you
learned/realized in numbers 1 and 2? [What do the answers to 1 & 2 say about where you
& God want you to go next?]