St. Ignatius of Loyola

His conversion

Born Íñigo López de Loyola in 1491 in the Basque region of Spain, Ignatius dreamed of military glory. In 1521 a cannonball shattered his leg at the Battle of Pamplona. Recovering, he found no romances to read, only the life of Christ and lives of the saints. He noticed that dreams of worldly success excited him briefly but left him restless, while thoughts of serving Christ brought lasting peace. This became the root of his teaching on discernment. His life shows how God redirects our ambitions and trials to holy ends (Romans 8:28; see 2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

The Society of Jesus

After prayer and penance at Montserrat and Manresa, he studied for the priesthood. In Paris he gathered companions including St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber; in 1534 they vowed poverty and chastity and placed themselves at the Church's service. Paul III approved the Society of Jesus in 1540, and Ignatius was elected its first superior general in 1541. Besides poverty, chastity and obedience, Jesuits take a fourth vow of obedience to the pope in missions. The Jesuits became known for missions, schools and universities, spiritual formation and defense of the faith, helping renew the Church after Luther's revolt. Ignatius was canonized in 1622. He is not a Doctor of the Church, but his influence on prayer, education and missions is enormous.

The Spiritual Exercises

The Exercises are prayers, meditations and examinations to help a person grow closer to God and decide according to his will (see Matthew 6:33). They are traditionally made in a thirty-day retreat of four "weeks" (sin and mercy, the life of Christ, his Passion, his Resurrection) under a faithful director, though they can be adapted over a longer period or a weekend.

At their heart is the discernment of spirits. Consolation draws us toward faith, hope, charity and love of God, and when sustained and marked by holiness comes from God, though Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14; see 11:12-15). Desolation, from the devil (see Ephesians 6:12), brings darkness, discouragement and temptation to abandon the good. These movements must not be judged by emotion alone or in isolation, but tested by prayer, reason, Scripture, Church teaching and a faithful counselor.

Of his fourteen rules, the fifth and sixth are especially important:

• Rule 5: never make a change in desolation. Stay firm in the resolution made before it. A seminarian who entered peacefully should not leave in desolation, nor should someone abandon a job chosen in peace (John 14:27). Decide only in consolation.
• Rule 6: in desolation, change yourself against it through more prayer, meditation, self-examination and suitable penance.

Ignatius himself suffered scrupulosity and even suicidal thoughts, but the Lord sustained him. His intercession, relics and images have proven fruitful in exorcisms.

What we learn

Conversion is the gradual surrender of our plans to God, as in his Suscipe:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

Our ambitions can be purified rather than destroyed: the soldier found a greater battlefield in serving Christ. We should ask whether our desires lead to humility, charity and obedience, Christ's standard, or to pride and despair, Satan's. Ignatius is patron of retreats, soldiers and discernment. Political labels do not fit him: he supported reform while remaining faithful to the deposit of faith (CCC 84-87; John 16:13; Acts 2:42) and to the pope's authority (Matthew 16:18-19; Luke 22:31-32).