A soldier and swordsman, Ignatius of Loyola’s Spanish name, Iñigo, always reminds me of another swordsman…you know who I’m talking about, Princess Bride fans.
It’s not such a wild connection. The fictional Iñigo was an orphan who dedicated himself to a life wielding the sword. Ignatius was not very far removed from the same thing. He was destined to serve in the King’s court, and as such lived a life of privilege that led to womanizing and lawless behavior.
When he was severely wounded in battle, his leg crushed by a cannonball, he retired to a long and painful recovery. Bored and unable to move, he had no other entertainment but to read lives of saints. This proved to be a turning point for him as Ignatius began to see himself, not as a servant of the king, but a servant of the true God.
He kept extensive notes during this conversion, documenting mostly long periods of contemplation and pondering. This notebook eventually became what we know to be the Spiritual Exercises. Although Ignatius dreamt of adventure and leading great conversion in the Holy Land, he was sent back to Europe to study, in what was a humbling experience. He was a grown man and found himself reviewing and preparing his studies with children. Still, he persisted, and eventually earned a master’s degree. While studying in Paris, he formed a group of friends who moved through those spiritual exercises that Ignatius had developed.
Initially intent upon being missionaries, the men recognized that the companionship they had was bound by their companionship with Christ. They abandoned ideas of going abroad, and decided, instead, to remain and form a religious order which they called Society of Jesus.
Today, we know them as the Jesuits.
Happy memorial of St. Ignatius Loyola.
