St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius has been a favorite of mine for a number of years. He was a knight of the Castle Loyola and spent much of his time in the affairs of courtly life. When he was injured in battle, he spent his time in bed, reading the Bible and stories of saints. After his recovery, he was a changed man.

The Lord worked through him and sent him on a mission to preach the Word in a time of heresy and the rise of enemies against the Church. He persevered in his teachings as he persevered in battle, for the love of his Lady. Eventually, he caught the attention of the Inquisitors and was arrested on more than one occasion. The Inquisitors had every right to be nervous. Ignatius was untrained, he was gathering a following, and he carried influence. Each time they arrested him, he gave a similar answer to their question:

When he was passing through Salamanca, Ignatius was asked by a Dominican Subprior, "What then do you preach?"

"We do not preach," answered the Pilgrim, "but only talk familiarly with a few people about things of God, for instance, after a meal with our hosts of the occasion."

"But," continued the Friar, "about what things of God do you talk? That is what we want to know."

To this the Pilgrim replied, "We speak now of one virtue, now of another, commenting and praising them, or now of one vice, now of another, censuring and reproving them."

(St. Ignatius of Loyola: The Pilgrim Years, by James Brodrick, S.J., p176)

He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal [the sick]. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Luke 9: 1-6