And One Was A Soldier

What does the word “Jesuit” mean to you? Growing up in the Church of Rome, a Jesuit was, for me, someone scary, intellectual, unforgiving and mysterious, certainly a far cry from our friendly parish priest. If I had ever met an actual Jesuit, I’m sure I would have quaked in my boots and not ventured a word or even a glance.  In later life, I kept a safe distance from anything Jesuitical.

Imagine, then, my great surprise when my own friendly, now Episcopal, parish priest suggested that I submit myself to the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius. Saint Ignatius? Isn't he the enemy of all Protestants? Wouldn't he rather suffer the fires of hell than offer spiritual teaching to a Protestant? To a woman? Well, apparently not.

Ignatius was born Igῆio Lopez in the year 1491, in Loyola in the Basque region of northern Spain. A member of the provincial nobility, Igῆio was sent off to be a royal page at the age of 14. He served Don Juan Velasquez in the Court of the King until that gentleman’s fortunes were lost. He then served the Duke of Najera as a gentleman at arms defending his Lord’s lands and claims. It was in this role in a battle at Pamplona that a cannonball shattered his leg, ending Igῆio’s soldiering once and for all. Laid up at home, he had no entertainment but two books: a Life of Christ and a Life of the Saints. These he read assiduously and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over time, Igῆio changed from a romantic ladies man whose highest thoughts were of loyalty to his King to a romantic religious man whose highest thoughts were of utter devotion to Our Lord. Not so much of a change really, just a slight re-direction. He was still Igῆio the dreamer, Igῆio the lover, Igῆio the brave. But now he had a different object of his ardor.

And ardor it was. Just as he gave everything to his military service, so he gave everything to his pursuit of holiness and passion for Jesus. He was desperate to achieve holiness and to know and follow Jesus and knew he’d have to leave home, which he was finally mobile enough to do. He packed up what he needed, bid goodbye to his family and traveled to the Abbey of Montserat. Here he made a three-day confession of his sins, gave away all his clothing etc and took the rough robes of a beggar.

From the Abbey, Igῆio went to the town of Manresa where he lived for 11 months in a cave, praying, fasting, thinking and taking notes. Ah, those notes! This is where the spiritual exercises were born. Igῆio believed that others might profit from his own experiences and revelations. Meeting a stone wall from both civil and ecclesiastical authorities, Igῆio went to Paris, acquired some formal learning, changed his name to Ignatius and, at the ripe old age of 49, was ordained.

Two things are important about the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). One is the word “society” and the other is the word “Jesus”. Jesuits are a community. Ignatius blossomed most when he met like-minded people and formed his order. Jesuits are the most inter-active order, constantly engaging everyone through speaking, writing and works of mercy. But, above all, they are Jesus’ men. Their lives and work are based on an intimate knowledge of Jesus which is the primary object of the exercises.

Holed up in that cave in Manresa, when the towns people thought he was crazy and when he was attracting all the wrong kind of attention from the Church and even the Inquisition, Igῆio closed his eyes and imagined he was walking with Jesus through his life: there in the desert being tempted, there healing the lepers and driving out demons, there feeding the masses and pronouncing the Beatitudes, there on the cross and there as the risen Lord.

Do you know what job-shadowing is? As one who has worked for years in workforce development, I was immediately struck with the similarity of Ignatius’ path to Jesus and the path that many (mostly) young people take to employment: job shadowing … follow very closely every move of someone in order to learn exactly what they do and how and why they do it. The “shadow” gets to know the worker and the worker’s job very well. A bond develops, even after one day. Imagine Igῆio as Jesus’ job shadow for 11 months in Manresa. Imagine anyone’s devoted pursuit of Jesus over time. We think we know Jesus, that even the smallest child knows Jesus in some sense. For Ignatius, to know Jesus meant a profoundly shared understanding of his ministry, hurts, triumphs, gifts and suffering.

The Gospel of John says “”I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me you will know my Father also.” 14:6

Igῆio found that when he put himself in Jesus’ path, sensed all the things that Jesus sensed, heard his words as a bystander, supplicant, sinner, friend, he actually began to truly know Jesus. This takes patience, concentration, brutal honesty and gut-wrenching courage. But Igῆio had nowhere else to go. He had thrown in his lot with Jesus just as he had done in his previous life with his king and lord. But now he had a better King and a better Lord. He knew that a long and concentrated attention to the life and work and sayings of Jesus would make his followers into new people. It is Jesus himself who compels our love. It is Jesus himself who teaches us. It is Jesus whom we come to know.

This is what this saint has given us, and gives us still today.

On July 31^st, the feast day of Saint Ignatius, please spare a thought for that ardent soldier, lover and priest who faced great odds and endured pain and derision to leave the world with an order of priests who are at the forefront of every justice movement on earth but who follow Jesus daily…really follow Jesus.

Coming next week: Does God understand cause and effect?