Carolyn Thanel
St. Clare of Assisi Writing Group
I’ve always revered the saints for their heroic virtue, self-sacrifice, and great accomplishments. However, it was not until recently that I befriended a saint, one who lived on another continent over five hundred years ago: St. Ignatius of Loyola.
One Sunday, after singing the Gloria at Mass, I recalled St. Ignatius’ motto and the focus of all his endeavors: Ad majorem Dei gloriam,“For the greater glory of God.” So I decided to begin my morning routine differently. The next day I intentionally wrote the initials AMDG (For the greater glory of God) at the top of my to-do list. I was determined to order my tasks, no matter how mundane, to the honor and glory of God. To my surprise, I noticed that I accomplished many of the tasks with greater ease, even feeling energized after their completion.
On another occasion, after singing the hymn “These Alone Are Enough,” I noticed in the footnotes that the words were based on the Suscipe prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. His words, offering his liberty, memory, understanding, and will to the Lord, truly stirred my heart.
It was not long afterward that St. Ignatius began surfacing and resurfacing in my life in mysterious ways, much like the way dolphins appear and reappear in the sea. For example, I was sitting at a table next to a priest at a church event, when the priest shared that he had received his mission, and the clarity to pursue his path to the priesthood, at an Ignatian retreat.
By this time, St. Ignatius had piqued my curiosity enough that I desired to learn more about him. I purchased a book, Ignatius of Loyola: The Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works. It revealed some interesting facts about this influential saint that I didn’t know about but felt worth sharing.
I was surprised to learn that St. Ignatius was a cultural Catholic and a soldier before his conversion at the age of thirty. Tragically, both of his legs were seriously wounded in battle. The painful surgeries that followed left him bedridden for a long time. While recovering, he was given two books to read. One was on the life of Christ and the other on the saints. It was through reading and contemplating the life of Christ and his saints that St. Ignatius made the decision to become a courageous soldier for the Lord and to live as a true disciple.
As someone who has always loved reading, and most recently began writing for evangelization, I could only imagine the transformative effects that reading and meditating must have had on St. Ignatius. What impressed me most about this saint was that he proved his great love by writing extensively for others. Although he traveled preaching the gospel, much of what he accomplished was through his writings of over seven thousand five hundred letters, the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, an autobiography, and his practical Spiritual Exercises. St. Ignatius truly followed Jesus’ great command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
I believe that St. Ignatius is more than just a guide and a role model. He is a modern-day road map for those who seek a closer walk with the Lord and desire to live as true disciples. It is through his teachings that I am learning to make choices that are intentional and focused on giving God the glory. Encouraged by St. Ignatius, I now pray the Examen (a reflection exercise) at the end of each day for the purpose of finding God in all things and resolving to do better. Since I accepted St. Ignatius’ invitation to more intimacy with Christ and desire to delve deeper into Ignatian spirituality, I am planning an Ignatian retreat in the springtime. In the meantime, I look forward to many more prayerful conversations with my new heavenly friend.