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Saint Ignatius Loyola, Priest

July 31st, 2010

“I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips”
Ps. 33:2

To-day the church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order. The story of Ignatius’ conversion is worth recalling. As a young soldier he was wounded in battle and while convalescing in a castle in Loyola he asked for some romantic novels to while away the hours. To his great disappointment there was nothing available but the lives of the saints. He decided to give them a go and soon found himself fascinated by the lives of these brave men and women who gave up everything to follow Christ and take Him as their leader and King. Still a soldier at heart Ignatius began to imagine himself a soldier in Christ’s army. Gradually the idea appealed to him and he found peace in seeing himself fighting for the establishment of Christ’ Kingdom on earth.

We could say that it was providential that there were no novels available for the young Ignatius during his time of boredom. The Lord still has his own way of calling us to follow him more closely. For Ignatius it was failure, a time of boredom and the inspiring example of others. What about you? How will the Lord call you today?

Prayer


PRAYER : Lord I thank you for your presence in my life. Help me to recognise you today in all that happens to me. May I be docile to the voice of your Spirit in my heart so that, like St. Ignatius I may do everything for your greater honour and glory. Amen

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Just a Thought

How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI

“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”

We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”

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