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| Ignatius Soldier-Priest |
-Brian Mendonca
Today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). It is his death anniversary.
We remember the injunction St. Ignatius gave to Sr. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) in 1528 which gave gave his life a complete turn around. The immortal words were, 'What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul.'
One of the credos of St. Ignatius is 'Ite, inflammate omnia' or 'Set the world on fire.' He founded the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits, with the approval of Pope Paul III in 1540.
Ignatius became a soldier at 18 and fought for the Viceroy of Navarre. in Spain. There was a complete change of heart when in 1521 while defending Pamplona from French attack he got hit by a cannon ball in his legs.
As he was being healed he read about the lives of saints and of Christ. It prompted him to develop spiritual exercises to more deeply encounter his faith. These practices are followed even today and propagated by the Jesuit order.
In 1522 Ignatius surrendered his military aspirations before the Black Madonna and entered a Benedictine monastery. He worked at a hospital and begged for his food. He began journaling to record his spiritual growth.
He moved to Paris for his further studies at the University of Paris. It was here that he met Francis Xavier as they shared a room.
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