Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Memorial of Saint Ignatius Loyola, priest

(Jeremiah 14:22-27; Matthew 13:36-43)

The devastation of Jerusalem described in today’s first reading may be compared to the Church in the sixteenth century.  The Protestant Reformation brought about the abandonment of monasteries.  Negligence by priests of their spiritual responsibilities fostered a spirit of rebellion among the people.  Often deadly rivalries sprung up among families, communities, and nations.  St. Ignatius, whom we celebrate today, countered the abuses of the time with the gospel.

Ignatius was a soldier but also an intellectual.  He experienced a conversion from reading the biographies of saints.  He noted the challenge to both peace and truth that settled upon Europe and acted to meet it.  He founded the Society of Jesus whose members would be both disciplined and learned.  They learned to refute the errors of the reformers and model the self-sacrifice of Christ’s servants.  In his endeavor Ignatius was as successful as any founder of a religious congregation.

We not only may honor St. Ignatius but also imitate some of his ways.  His Spiritual Exercises, the program which comprises the basis of Jesuit formation, is available to all.  It enables practitioners to experience the conversion to which the gospel calls everyone.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Memorial of Saint Ignatius Loyola, priest

(Jeremiah 14:22-27; Matthew 13:36-43)

The Catholic Church in the sixteenth century may be compared to Jerusalem as Jeremiah sees it in the first reading today. The revolts by Luther in Germany, Calvin and Zwingli in Switzerland, and
Henry VIII in England left the Church reeling. Ecclesiastical structures were abolished in places with Church possessions confiscated. Religious monasteries, convents and other institutions were devastated. The system may have completely broken down without the emergence of the Society of Jesus under the wise leadership of St. Ignatius Loyola whom the Church celebrates today.

Ignatius formed a body of men to respond to the challenges of the times. Their minds were acutely formed to meet Protestant intellectual critiques. Their wills were also fortified to suffer deprivation if necessary for the sake of the Church. Certainly the Jesuits more than any other religious congregation are responsible for the Church’s renewal and indeed prominence in the last five hundred years.

We recognize a Jesuit by the initials “S.J.” which stand for the “Society of Jesus.” But Jesuits themselves often refer to their fraternity as the “Company of Jesus.” This name rings of the military discipline with which St. Ignatius instilled them. But it more poignantly connotes the intimacy that each member feels with the Lord Jesus who, like many of them, gave up the glory of heaven to raise humanity from sin and death.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 14:17-22; Matthew 13:36-43)

John Hershey’s novel Hiroshima describes what it was like to be bombed with a nuclear weapon. It is a human story with people much like the ones we knew growing up. It is also a deadly story with an outcome not to be wished on one’s most feared enemies.

In one respect Hiroshima reads like Jeremiah’s description of fallen Jerusalem in the first reading today. The word “devastation” only hints at the misery. One is left only to cry and cry with the hopelessness of it all. War at any time is terrible. Nuclear warfare is a million times more horrible.

Jesus calls his followers to be “peacemakers.” This means becoming humble and wise. It entails teaching righteousness and promoting reconciliation. It requires prayer that people and nations learn compassion. In sum, we are to study Jesus’ ways and to live with his care for others.