Anyway, let me tell you about the inspiring story of how a rich, vain and worldly man came to be a saint. Here's the life story of St. Ignatius based on exceprts from Fr. Martin's book:
Inigo de Loyola was born in 1491 in Spain and spent much of his young adult life preparing to be a soldier and courtier (I think this refers to Inigo being a person who seeks favors through flattery and charm, rather than an attendant to a court as you can see in the rest of the story). He was something of a ladies' man and according to some sources, a hothead. He was vain and interested in worldly interests.
During a battle in Pamplona in 1521, his leg was struck and shattered by a cannonball, which led to several months of recuperation.
The initial operation on the leg was botched - there was a bone protruding. But vanity took over - Inigo wanted his leg to look good in fashionable tights and couldn't accept the idea of being thought unattractive so he asked the surgeons to cut away the bone. The surgery left him with a lifelong limp.
While recovering at their family castle, he wanted to find books he most enjoyed reading - adventure stories, tales of chivalry, of knights doing gallant deeds to impress noble women, but there were none of those books. His sister-in-law gave him a book on the life of Jesus and another one on the lives of saints.
As he idly leafed through the seemingly dull lives of saints, something surprising happened. Inigo wondered if he can emulate them. Within him stirred a strange desire to become like saints and serve God. He wrote in his autobiography, "What if I should do this which Saint Francis did and this which Saint Dominic did?". And this was coming from someone who didn't even have prior interest in religious observance!
When he wasn't reading about the life of Jesus and the saints, he still thought about doing great deeds for a certain lady. He went back and forth thinking about doing heroic things for the noble lady and doing heroic things for God. He slowly realized the difference in the aftereffects of his thoughts. After he thought about impressing a certain lady with exploits in the battlefield, he was delighted at first, then he was dry and discontented. But when he thought about doing great things for God like going to Jerusalem on barefoot or undergoing the things the saints endured, not only was he consoled but he remained content and happy - even after putting them aside. He began to marvel at the difference, realizing from experience that some thoughts left him sad and others happy.
After fully recovering and against his family's protests, he gave up his being a soldier and started to devote himself to God. In 1522, at the age of 31, he made a pilgrimage to the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, Spain. As a gesture, he stripped off his garments and gave them to a beggar and laid his sword and armor before the statue of the Virgin Mary.
After that, he spent a year living in a nearby town called Manresa where he did austere practices - fasted, prayed long hours, grew his hair and nails long as a way to show that he has surrendered his vanity.
Gradually, he moderated his extreme practices. He realized his austerity was doing little to help him achieve his goal of helping souls. Even though he has adopted this penance for a good reason, he abandoned it. (Years later, he counseled Jesuits against undertaking similarly austere practices if they prevented working efficiently. He advised Jesuits to be moderate in all things and maintain their health; eat healthy food, get good exercise and have the proper rest in order to carry out their work.)
He went to study in the University of Paris where he begged for alms to support himself. While in Paris, he met friends like Francisco Javier (known today as St. Francis Xavier) and 5 others who became the first Jesuits in 1534 when they took their vow of poverty and chastity. And the rest was history for the Jesuit community which has grown globally.
While recovering at their family castle, he wanted to find books he most enjoyed reading - adventure stories, tales of chivalry, of knights doing gallant deeds to impress noble women, but there were none of those books. His sister-in-law gave him a book on the life of Jesus and another one on the lives of saints.
As he idly leafed through the seemingly dull lives of saints, something surprising happened. Inigo wondered if he can emulate them. Within him stirred a strange desire to become like saints and serve God. He wrote in his autobiography, "What if I should do this which Saint Francis did and this which Saint Dominic did?". And this was coming from someone who didn't even have prior interest in religious observance!
When he wasn't reading about the life of Jesus and the saints, he still thought about doing great deeds for a certain lady. He went back and forth thinking about doing heroic things for the noble lady and doing heroic things for God. He slowly realized the difference in the aftereffects of his thoughts. After he thought about impressing a certain lady with exploits in the battlefield, he was delighted at first, then he was dry and discontented. But when he thought about doing great things for God like going to Jerusalem on barefoot or undergoing the things the saints endured, not only was he consoled but he remained content and happy - even after putting them aside. He began to marvel at the difference, realizing from experience that some thoughts left him sad and others happy.
After fully recovering and against his family's protests, he gave up his being a soldier and started to devote himself to God. In 1522, at the age of 31, he made a pilgrimage to the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, Spain. As a gesture, he stripped off his garments and gave them to a beggar and laid his sword and armor before the statue of the Virgin Mary.
After that, he spent a year living in a nearby town called Manresa where he did austere practices - fasted, prayed long hours, grew his hair and nails long as a way to show that he has surrendered his vanity.
Gradually, he moderated his extreme practices. He realized his austerity was doing little to help him achieve his goal of helping souls. Even though he has adopted this penance for a good reason, he abandoned it. (Years later, he counseled Jesuits against undertaking similarly austere practices if they prevented working efficiently. He advised Jesuits to be moderate in all things and maintain their health; eat healthy food, get good exercise and have the proper rest in order to carry out their work.)
He went to study in the University of Paris where he begged for alms to support himself. While in Paris, he met friends like Francisco Javier (known today as St. Francis Xavier) and 5 others who became the first Jesuits in 1534 when they took their vow of poverty and chastity. And the rest was history for the Jesuit community which has grown globally.
Here are the photos I took when we visited St. Ignatius' house in Spain a few years back. The tower that you see is the Basilica of St. Ignatius but in the foreground is their house - or more like a family castle and yes, it's huge.
Here's a door leading to the family castle.
Once you enter, you'll see a sculpture depicting the scene when St Ignatius' leg got injured during the war. (I think this is the reason why I remembered he got injured! Haha...)
Here's inside the quarters of the family castle.
It's big but only selected sections are open to the public.
Here are some beautiful stained glass windows inside the family residence.
And this is the room of St. Ignatius located at the top floor of the family residence. This is where he recovered, read about the lives of Jesus and saints, and got his spiritual enlightenment. It all happened in this room. (And most likely, seeing this is the reason why I remembered it as the second phase of St. Ignatius' life in my shortcut biography about him. Haha...)
Here's the beautiful Basilica of St. Ignatius built just adjacent to the family castle.
Check out its intricately-designed entrance.
And beautiful dome.
As an additional realization after reading the book, it dawned on me that I've also been to the place where St. Ignatius stripped off his garments and armor, and laid down his sword before the statue of the Virgin Mary in Montserrat, Spain. It's one of the most breathtaking places I've been to. Check out the photos of the Monastery in Monserrat -
And here's the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat or also known as the miraculous Black Madonna.
Anyway, after knowing about the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, isn't it inspiring to know that someone who's hot-tempered, worldly, "bolero" (courtier as they put it) and vain (probably even more vain than most of us because I don't think I would consider cutting a bone for aesthetic purposes) ended up becoming a saint?!
And what I like most about him are his wisdom and practical teachings which we could apply to modern times like his teachings on simple living and moderation. The invitation to live a simple life is an invitation to freedom, not guilt. And it doesn't mean that we have to give up everything like the saints did - we can still keep our favorite things and do recreational activities as long as they are kept in moderation, they don't rule our lives and we share with the less fortunate and learn from them.
And what I like most about him are his wisdom and practical teachings which we could apply to modern times like his teachings on simple living and moderation. The invitation to live a simple life is an invitation to freedom, not guilt. And it doesn't mean that we have to give up everything like the saints did - we can still keep our favorite things and do recreational activities as long as they are kept in moderation, they don't rule our lives and we share with the less fortunate and learn from them.
