Our Lady in the Life of St. Ignatius Loyola

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 21 July 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

From the perspective of the Church’s mission to faithfully proclaim the mystery of its Lord until its final manifestation in full light, the Year of Faith, commencing in October this year, is a command to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world. (Benedict XVI, 2011, Porta Fidei, #6)  It is no wonder then, that during the Year, we are invited to particular devotion to Mary, model of the Church. For, as shown by Fr. Jean Longère, President of the French Society of Marian Studies (Lourdes Magazine, Special Edition 2009, p129), the call for reconciliation with God and conversion of hearts is the “golden thread” linking Marian apparitions together. She was seen weeping for sinful humanity. Today, I would like to share on Mary in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.

Ignatius Loyola, born in 1491 in Azpeitia, northwest of Spain, was from a noble Christian family. He was christened Inigo. During his youth, against his faith, he gave himself over to worldly vanities, especially in gambling, women, and fighting. For want of glory, as courtier in the army of King Ferdinand of Spain, he stubbornly defended the town of Pamplona from the French army. On the 20th of May 1521, a French cannonball smashed into both his legs; both Inigo and Pamplona fell. The French nursed him and brought him back to his father’s castle in Loyola. Hoping to perfect his impaired leg, the proud soldier had it re-broken and reset twice. The ordeal almost killed him. Nevertheless, he was left with one leg shorter than the other. 

While convalescing, a romantic novel that he requested could not be found. Instead, he was given the only books available, Life of Christ and Lives of the Saints. This period of reading and deep reflexion brought about his conversion. He decided to outdo the “knights of God”, as he called the saints, in the service of Christ. Our Lady confirmed him in his decision. A vision of her and the Holy Child Jesus stirred hatred for his past life of the flesh, and seemed to erase all his memories of them thereafter. Thus, at thirty, in 1521, Inigo passed from a worldly life to a completely Christian life.

He left home to go to the Holy Land. On the way of a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, he stopped and spent a night in vigil before Our Lady of Aranzazu, promising to live in chastity. At Montserrat, he made a Confession, donned beggar’s clothes, surrendered his sword and dagger at Our Lady’s altar and kept vigil over them all night. The next morning, on the feast of the Annunciation 1522, he left towards Barcelona, but ended up retiring in a cave outside nearby Manresa. Here, by the banks of the river Cardoner, he received heavenly insights and went on to compose the Spiritual Exercises which helped countless people.

Ignatius was evidently devoted to Our Lady. When he returned to Azpeitia in 1535 to recuperate from sickness, he often prayed at the Convent of Our Lady of Olatz. After his ordination in 1537, he delayed saying Mass, to prepare himself and “to beg Our Lady that she might desire to place him with her Son.” (de Guibert, 1964, p37) In November 1537, while praying in a chapel at La Storta before entering Rome, Ignatius had a vision of God the Father commending him to Jesus. He clearly saw that the Father was placing him with His Son, as he had confidently asked Mary to obtain for him. This greatly assured him and transformed his soul. It was uniquely important both to his life and the Society of Jesus, for it was God who granted them, in Fr. de Guibert, a Jesuit’s words, “…a life of service to God with Christ, through Christ, in Christ, and as Christ.”

Ignatius said his first Mass at Christmas 1538 in the church of St. Mary Major, Rome. The Society of Jesus has for its patroness Madonna Della Strada, Our Lady of the Way, whose intercession was claimed to have protected Ignatius during battle as a soldier. The Blessed Virgin Mary is also known as the Queen of the Society of Jesus, obscure yet ever present and helpful. Thus we see the quiet but decisive role of Mary in the life of Ignatius Loyola, the worldly soldier turned soldier of Christ.

Let us then trust in Mary’s intercession, as we pray for conversion for ourselves and for others, in preparing to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth come October.

References:

Benedict XVI. (11 October 2011). Porta Fidei.

Lourdes Magazine, Special Edition. (2009).

de Guibert, J. (1964). The Jesuits: Their Spiritual Doctrine and Practice – A Historical Study. USA: The Institute of Jesuit Sources