31 July 2019
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Ignatius’ health was never good the last four years of his life. Countless times he warned his companions that the “end was near” and so it was a bit of surprise when he actually died. He certainly was not surrounded by a cluster of Jesuits, as the pious pictures frequently document his death. In fact, he told his secretary to finish some letters instead of running off and getting a final blessing from the pope. With no offense to the founding members of the Society and those that lived in the house, any one who knew a bit of Jesuit history would not have been surprised in the least that Ignatius died on July 31, 1556 and in fact they should have been aware of the strong possibility of the Founder passing on this specific day. July 31 celebrates another occasion. On July 31, 1548 Pope Paul III officially approved the Spiritual Exercises as a means of moving towards God. For Ignatius, this was a monumental event for it fell in line with so many of his visions and insights which confirmed his mission. To receive from the Vicar of Christ the approval of the Exercises was no less than approval of Christ himself. For Ignatius the battle was clear, the weapons aligned, and the troops were gathering under the banner of the Cross. He now had to assist in putting the plan into action. After eight years of organizing the battle he achieved that for which the Exercises strive, union with God. So we celebrate two events today, the man and the principle means he created to bring souls go God.