The Jesuit order, also known as the Society of Jesus, was
created in 1540 amidst the tumult and intrigue of the Protestant Reformation. Its founder, Ignatius of Loyola, was a
swashbuckling Spaniard given more to womanizing and chivalry than God until a
cannonball ripped through his leg in an ill-fought battle in Pamplona, an event
which was to change his life, and the Church universal, forever.
Weeks later in
Loyola, lying invalid and enduring the pain of a butchered leg, the staid soldier
sought gallant literature to buoy his spirits - tales of dangerous medieval
duels and amorous affairs, anything to take his mind off the pain. Yet the house yielded only two
auspicious volumes – Vita Jesu Christi by
Ludolph of Saxony and Flos Sanctorum by
Jacopo da Varazze[1]. These two saintly manuscripts on the
life of Christ and the saints strangely seized his imagination and prompted a
profound religious conversion. That
was 1521, the year that Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic
Church.
Though mere mention
of the word “Jesuit” often beckons the fierce theological battles of the
Counter-Reformation, Ignatius of Loyola, once a ferocious fighter, was now a
man of humility and grace. He now
marched under the banner of the Cross, laying down his arms and his ego in deference to the
suffering Servant. In a letter to
his Jesuit brothers participating in the Council of Trent, an ecumenical
council embroiled in some of the most heated Catholic-Protestant debates in history,
Ignatius offered the following advice:
Be slow to speak. Be considerate and kind.
Be slow to speak, and only after having first
listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings and wishes
of those who speak.
When in discussion, I should consider the
reasons on both sides without showing any attachment to my own opinion, and try
to avoid bringing dissatisfaction to anyone.
Move as many as possible to prayer and
devotion. Pray and lead others to
prayer.
Awaken in souls a thorough knowledge of
themselves and a love of their Creator and Lord.[2]
As we lead and minister together, Protestants and Catholics
alike would be graced to follow such godly advice. Let our love and humility awaken the souls of even our most hardened
adversaries and set us on a similar course of reconciliation and union in
Christ Jesus.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter 5:5
[1] These
two popular medieval texts were to have a profound influence not only on the
spiritual development of young Iñigo
but on the very structure and topical composition of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius’ most prominent and enduring
work. Like Ludolph’s Vita, the Spiritual Exercises charts a 30,000 ft. view of redemptive history,
from trinitarian effulgence and creation to the final judgment. Akin to the evangelical vision of Young
Life, the core of Ignatian spirituality rests upon a particular meta-narrative:
God’s salvific plan and the human faculty of freedom to discern and live into
that plan toward the salvation of one’s soul.
[2] Letter from Saint Ignatius Loyola to the
Fathers Attending the Council of Trent, 1546.
