Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” – Jeremiah 18:6

       A few minutes before the heart operation, I had the chance to prepare the needs of the patient. I could sense his anxiety and fear over what may happen. He had just survived a heart attack and he was hanging on for dear life. Then the head surgeon held the hand of the patient, smiled at him and said, “We’ve got you. You are in safe hands.”

       The patient smiled and let go in peace. The operation started with a prayer, went smoothly, and the patient eventually made a full recovery.

         I never forgot my lesson that day: that there is peace in letting go.

     We are always in God’s safe hands. He has designed us to be perfectly at peace in Him. May we let go and let God do His mighty works through us today. Didoy Lubaton (christianlubaton@yahoo.com)

St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest, pray for us.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was a bit of a playboy and ladies’ man before he went off to war and got wounded. In recovering from his wounds he had a conversion experience, and once out of the hospital he set about establishing a new congregation in the Church that would devote itself to teaching and evangelization. The Society of Jesus, as it is now known, is the largest male congregation in the Church.

1 This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; there I will give you my message. 3 I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. 4 Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the Lord. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

R: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. (R) 3 Put not your trust in princes, in the son of men, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his spirit departs he returns to his earth; on that day his plans perish. (R) 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord, his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. (R)

It is important to learn from the wisdom of the ages while at the same time embracing the innovations of the day. This is what Jesus means when He talks about bringing out both the old and the new. The future of the Church depends on how the present generation recognizes the essential truths of the Gospel and formulates them in such a way that they can be passed on to future generations. This process has been going on for 2,000 years and will continue to do so for millennia to come.

Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.

47 Jesus said to the disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” 53 When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 1-2

LIKE ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

Today’s saint led a very colorful life, showing the wonders of God’s grace stubbornly at work in one’s soul. And his openness to and reception to God’s grace, in spite of some resistance to it, was, in the end, for the greater glory of God — as the motto of the Society of Jesus puts it, “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam” (For the greater glory of God). As the founder of this great religious congregation, St. Ignatius of Loyola mustered deep awareness, humble availability, and great courage in what he did. Also, this former military adventurer (he loved to use militaristic terms in the congregation he founded) “waged war” against his own sinful tendencies and against the enemies of the Church through his indefatigable zeal. This male religious congregation specializes in reaching out to those in far-off mission lands, refugees, the poor and downtrodden, and even the elite of society.

         In some sense, St. Ignatius is like the wise scribe in today’s Gospel. He headed the household efficiently, making use of both the new and the old from his life’s treasure trove. But before that, he was like the lump of clay in the book of the prophet Jeremiah in today’s First Reading. In the skillful hands of the Master Potter (God Himself), this clay could be molded as He pleased. Should it turn out badly, it could be easily molded again into something else.

         If only we could be just like St. Ignatius of Loyola! He himself was inspired by the saints’ biographies, which he read while convalescing in the hospital due to the cannon-shot leg wound he incurred during a battle. As he put it, “These men were of the same frame as I; why then should I not do what they have done?” God made His will clear enough to Ignatius.

         What’s keeping us from also seeking God’s will? May we be as discerning, docile to, and doers of God’s will in our lives. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How does the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola inspire you in your spiritual journey?

Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of St. Ignatius’ life. May I learn to be as discerning and docile like he was when he encountered You in his life.