The Inspiration of Ignatius of Loyola and Why the Society of Jesus is Different - Essay Example

 Introduction As the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola is the best illustration of Catholic Reformation. Ignatius underwent a religious conversion influenced by readings about Christ and the saints, which served as his inspiration to initiate a new religious order, whose goal was to provide direct service to the Pope in terms of mission. This paper will identify Ignatius’ inspirations for his transformation and the impact of his writings and actions that contributed to his being the principal founder of the Jesuits. St. Ignatius of Loyola, originally named Iñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola, was the youngest of thirteen children of a Basque nobleman. His participation as a soldier in the French army caused him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life. A small cannon ball shattered his right leg and although he submitted himself to surgery, it was only so that he would be deformed with a limp that he carried on through life. To relieve his boredom while recuperating, he asked someone for knightly romances, but was instead handed a book of piety, which “significantly changed the course of his life and indirectly influenced hundreds of thousands of people over the next five centuries.” However, although such a prevailing contribution to the Society resulted from his conversion, his time at Manresa was not all an easy path. From the outset, he doubted about sustaining his new life for many decades to come, but was able to recognize God’s grace, which had liberated him from such doubts. Hence, despite obstacles such as money and support, he was able to initiate his new religious order. As Donnelly emphasized, Loyola "was certain God was calling him to help souls," but how would he accomplish such task? This is exactly what makes the Society of Jesus particularly different from other religious orders, from this paper’s point of view. Loyola's goal for the Society of Jesus was to "win people to Christ and reform their lives," but in order to do so, he and his followers knew that they must fulfill a good classical and theological education. He then decided to study Latin in order to work for his mission of winning souls for God. He went to Barcelona, Alcala, Salamanca, and Paris, where he studied philosophy for three years. In 1535, he graduated as Master of Arts. “A key factor in Jesuit growth was the fact that from a small society, the Jesuits grew in international scope. Most of companions who joined Loyola in Venice to seek passage to the Holy Land were Spaniards (Xavier, Lainez, Salmeron, Bobadilla, and Diego Hoces), but they also included Portuguese (Rodrigues), two French-speaking Savoyards (Faber and Jay), and two Frenchmen (Broet and Codure).1 “As General of Society of Jesus, Loyola relied greatly on his early companions, all making important contributions to the growth and administration of the society. Thus, it is important to mention Peter Canisius, Francis Borgia, Juan Polanco, and Jerome Nadal, who were all gifted, but in different ways.”2 The Sources of Inspiration of Ignatius de Loyola For purposes of this paper, the following are Ignatius’ sources of inspiration: √ Strong faith in Jesus Christ Loyola’s two books of inspiration were The Life of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Four Gospels by Ludolf of Sanoxy, and The Golden Legend by Jacobo da Varazze, which influenced him to imitate the lives of the Saints. His conversion was due to the recognition of a sinful past that needed to be fixed, and in his attempts to fully follow conversion; Loyola lived in prayer and penance at Manresa for approximately a year, where he started to help the poor and the sick and began to build a circle of friends among them. Ignatius was introduced to the Ejercitario de la Vida Espiritual, which evidently served as a basis for his own masterpiece, Spiritual Exercises. These Spiritual Exercises are in essence, records of his movements and reactions of his spiritual faculties organized in a way that would guide others in the midst of the same profound experience of God. He composed and presented the Exercises as a layman, and was ordained later. His Exercises were not a series of pious sermons or edifying notes to be read; but rather prescriptions that were meant to put a person in direct communication with God. These actions show Ignatius’ strong faith in God and his willingness to act upon His will, serving as inspiration to his spiritual sojourn. √ Fulfilling his mission of drawing people and communities nearer to God Regardless of their education and preparation towards their mission, the Jesuits faced many accusations from contrary religious orders such as the Theatine Order, ruled by Carafa. Loyola's first and most critical criticism toward the Theatines shows his intentions to create a new religious order that would cover all "pastoral needs of the church in the Reformation era." In fact, Loyola and his six companions were focused on the intent to grow closer together, in a pursuit to be friends in the Lord and draw others to Jesus Christ. There were many proposals from other new orders to unify with the Jesuits since they shared many values and ministries. Two of these smaller orders approached the Jesuits and requested a union. One of these was Carafa's Theatines, who was founded in Rome, and the other one was the Sinaschi. In both cases, Loyola turned down proposed mergers because differences in spirituality and lifestyles were likely to cause friction3 and might hamper the Society’s mission. In order to understand the differences of Loyola’s order from those of others, it is important to mention The Formula, a written proposal to Paul III to approve of the new order. Undoubtedly, the formula included the traditional three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In addition, the fourth vows required members to go on missions, upon the request of the Pope. Loyola’s main method of being capable of joining the Society of Jesus involved the Spiritual Exercises of the mind, memory, will, and imagination. According to him, these exercises of the spiritual faculties would enable one to find the divine will and transform one’s will towards the will of God. The two main purposes of the exercises were “to teach people to pray more effectively and to help people who ere trying to reshape their lives to find and embrace what they saw as God's will for them."4 The criticisms and difficulties encountered by Ignatius and his companions in building the Society of Jesus shows his battle against the existing traditional religious rulings that were not easy to combat, but through his inspiration of fulfilling the mission of drawing people to God, it became possible. Why Ignatius de Loyola’s Society of Jesus May be Considered Different from Other Religious Orders The following are the reasons why Ignatius de Loyola’s Society of Jesus may be considered different from other religious orders: □ Revolutionary steps in the acceptance of teachings to the mainstream Catholic religion Readiness to go anywhere the Pope sent them was added to the vow of the members of the Society of Jesus, which was not a prevalent practice during its conception. Works of charity such as teaching the young and uneducated, as well as missionary enterprises were among their earliest ideals. The choral celebration of the Divine Office was abolished to leave them free for these works of active ministry to the poor. This was a revolutionary step, but the whole package won Papal approval in 1540. Ignatius was chosen, predictably but unwillingly, as the first General. For the rest of his life, he stayed at Rome, directing the Society he had founded towards the fulfillment of its mission. □ The Progressive character of the Society of Jesus Donnelly explained that Society of Jesus is differentiated from earlier religious orders on two points. First, priests did not recite together the divine office, which was opposed to Loyola’s belief in traveling, preaching, hearing confessions, and performing other tasks for the service of God and neighbor."5 Second, Loyola’s order demands no physical penances, such as fasting or whipping oneself, which were laid down by rule but were left to each individual’s zeal and discretion. New members were not to be admitted permanently until they had demonstrated willingness to shoulder responsibilities. “Most people instinctively trusted Loyola and were willing to help him because they saw in him transparent sincerity and high religious idealism.”6 When asked whether Jesuits houses had any cells, Loyola indicated that those meriting such punishments were expelled from the Society.7 This was a shift from the usual trend of Catholic orders in his time, which used punishments to erring members. Among Ignatius' personal foundations at Rome were houses for convert Jews and hostels for fallen women. Spiritual direction, which was to complete rather than replace the work of parish priests, was undertaken by Jesuits; but not, in their early days, the actual charge of parishes. Another shift that may be termed progressive at this time was the discouragement of severe penance, embodied in the Jesuits Constitution, so that members of the Society could use their good health for the service of God and neighbor.8 □ Reliance on contributions and donations from faithful people for financial functions There is always a necessity for any large organization, especially a new one, to have friends in high places, and this was specifically true of the Jesuits, who had no financial resources of their own in the initial stages of its mission,9 which made its members leave all their valuable belongings behind before joining the Society. Some of the influential people who supported the society financially were Pope Marcellus II, Julius III, Ferdinand, King of Bohemia, John III of Portugal, and the main benefactor at Venice Andrea Lipomano.10 Due to a need for financial generation necessary for building the new order, Loyola’s working hours during his years in Rome were largely devoted to “cultivating benefactors and dealing with problems arising in Jesuit communities and ministries around the world.”11 His vast correspondence only manifests his dealings with various concerns of people and communities pertaining to performing ministries on them. Like families, religious communities need homes to live in, in which the Jesuits’ primary housing, called Professed House was built.12 “Professed Houses were to have no fixed income but were to depend on gifts from the people,”13 indicating the Society’ reliance on contributions and donations from faithful people for financial functions. □ Religious commitment and natural talent for members of the society When admitting young men into the society, Ignatius looked for both religious commitment and natural talent. He welcomed men who were intelligent, hardworking, and mature into the order. These requirements are embodied in the first five parts of the Jesuit Constitution, which properly describe how men are to be admitted to the Society, why they may decide to leave or be asked to leave, and the spiritual and intellectual development expected of members. The six parts take up the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience traditionally taken by members of religious orders.”14 Good health was important because the tasks of the Jesuit life required one to be physically able. Less important but useful was noble birth and good manners since Jesuits would often be dealing with noblemen and women.15 Probably, it is due to this that David Knowles regards the Jesuits as “the most carefully centralized and disciplined non-military body that ever existed.”16 In Loyola’s room, one can find only three books, the New Testament, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis, and a missal for celebrating mass, 17 indicating his strong focus on occupying his thoughts alone to God and his mission. His controlling principle in life was the phrase “To the greater glory of God” (ad majorem Dei gloriam) with its abbreviation, A.M.D.G.18 □ Education as an avenue for active ministry It became gradually clearer to Loyola that the Professed Houses were rarely financially viable, while schools were both needed and popular during his time.19 Thus, education became the main ministry of the Society, making it an avenue towards fulfilling an active ministry of the Church and leading people to God. Today, there are twenty-one Jesuit universities, plus colleges and high schools in the United States, showing this strong advocacy on education.20 Education played a key role in reaching people and communities that when Ignatius died on 31 July 1556, the Jesuits have already numbered over 1,000 in nine European provinces besides those working in foreign missions. In 1990, they numbered 24, 500. Ignatius de Loyola was canonized in 1622 and was declared Patron of spiritual exercises and retreats by Pope Pius XI. He is also Patron of many schools, churches, and colleges, and July 31 is a Feast meant for his honor. □ Active service to others as diverse from pure contemplative life in convents Another difference that can be seen among the Jesuits as differentiated from other religious orders is playing an active service to the community as diverse from pure contemplative life in the convents. In this regard, Loyola believed that the mobility that should characterize the Jesuits was incompatible with being tied down as chaplains or confessors for nuns, but requires being with the poor and living with them. Hence, the essence of Jesuit life was active service to others, put forward in its initial founding. “Tens of thousands of Jesuits over the centuries were sent on missions, often to distant lands and on dangerous assignments, in a pursuit to perform an active ministry.”21 Jesuit priests employed active ministry to people far more than did Benedictine monks or even the medieval orders of friars did, such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans. Initially, the Jesuits devoted themselves to preaching, teaching catechism, and hearing confessions. On the contrary, all religious communities for women during this period were characteristically cloistered, in which nuns were made to remain in theirs convents and devote themselves to prayer without active participation to the problems of communities.”22 Most religious orders for men also led the same trail, and Ignatius’ Society of Jesus was a diversion from this practice. Gradually, education and missionary work outside Europe grew in importance because of the Society’s example, advocating towards making men nearer to God.23 Conclusion For fifteen years, Ignatius de Loyola inspired, counseled, and directed his subjects with prudence and understanding towards the goal of fulfilling the Society’s mission. He insisted on the vow of total obedience during the Spiritual Exercises, making the society’s advocacy often compared to a military commitment, while the Society itself to an army, but one towards consecration of spirituality and living a life in Jesus Christ. The life of Ignatius de Loyola exhibits the messages of commitment, faith, and persistence towards a task of leading people and communities to God, alongside battling conventions that tended to ward off initial works towards the fulfillment of these goals. ____________________ Reference: Donelly, John Patrick. Ignatius of Loyola: Founder of Jesuits. NY: Pearson/Longman. 2004. Read More