Let us open ourselves to true conversion through God’s mercy and generosity
Reflections on the readings for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (July 31, 2018): JER 14:7-22; PS 79:8,9,11,13; MT 13:36-43
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
St. Ignatius of Loyola was a 16th-century Spanish nobleman and a soldier known for enjoying worldly pleasures until he suffered a serious leg injury.
While he recuperated he read books about Jesus and the saints. Ignatius realized that Christ was truly the be-all and end-all of his life and that he entrusted himself to our Lord, body and soul. After years of penitence and study, Ignatius determined to serve God as completely as he could. He not only founded the Society of Jesus, but also committed the Jesuits to spreading the Good News of Christ around the world that they continue today. “With the greatness of Your arm preserve those doomed to die. Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks to You forever; from generation to generation we will recount Your praise” (Psalm 79:11,13).
In the famous prayer of St. Ignatius, he acknowledges that God gave everything to him, including his freedom, mind and will; so he returns everything to God’s care, asking only that he might receive “Your love and Your grace. With these I am rich enough and ask nothing more.” We, too can entrust ourselves completely to the gracious will of our Lord.
Suggested missionary action: We can ask St. Ignatius, patron of retreats, to help us make a retreat, or to commit ourselves to reading and meditating on the Scriptures daily, especially through his own renowned “Spiritual Exercises.”