St. Ignatius of Loyola

"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created."

These profound words were written by St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises, a Catholic classic on the interior life. A giant among the Communion of Saints, St. Ignatius's story should inspire us to constantly renew our fervor for the Lord.

St. Ignatius was born in Spain, and grew up with a burning desire to join the military. He was greatly influenced by the culture of knighthood and chivalry that surrounded him in his youth, especially when he was serving as a page for noble family. He followed that dream by serving 12 years in the military, engaged in in many campaigns and distinguishing himself on the battlefield. However, when he was 30, he was injured in battle and had to spend months convalescing. During that time, he read and reread two Christian books - The Life of Christ and Flowers of the Saints. He realized he wanted to leave his life as a soldier on the battlefield and instead become a soldier for Christ.

Over the next year, Ignatius underwent a profound conversion, enduring periods of scrupulosity and temptation. He chose to live an ascetic life, spending most of his time in solitary prayer while fasting. It was during this time he began to write his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises. Afterwards, he began promoting his work around Spain, even to the point of being briefly imprisoned during the Inquisition before being cleared of teaching heresy. 

In 1537, Ignatius and two future fellow saints, Peter Faber and Francis Xavier, were ordained priests. A few years later, they founded a new religious order, the Society of Jesus - more commonly known as the Jesuits. The Jesuits have been one of the most impactful Catholic orders, sending missionaries across the globe, founding countless schools, including many esteemed universities, and playing a major role in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Ignatius was appointed the first superior of the order, a role which he held until his death in 1556.

Let us pray to St. Ignatius for a continual deepening of our interior life and renewal of our commitment to God!

By Anna Neal