A Reflection for the Solemnity of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Find today’s readings here.
Brothers and sisters: Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10: 31)
In the early days of the Society of Jesus, a young Jesuit named Pedro Ribadeneira reported that, whenever he heard Ignatius speak, “he moved the hearts of the audience, not to empty applause and admiration, but to tears and to a wholesome hatred of sin.”
“Ignatius used to speak with such energy and spiritual fervor,” wrote Ribadeneira, “that he seemed to be flaring up in charity and shooting out glowing firebrands of God’s love.”
At the same time, young Pedro was distressed over Ignatius’ ineloquent mixing of Italian and Spanish. He felt that the Jesuit’s spiritual exhortations “might be communicated in a way that was less complex and obscure because of his incorrect word usage.”
So the young Jesuit advised Ignatius on “polishing his speech.” And Ignatius, with resolute humility, warmly agreed. He suggested Pedro make note of the errors at his next talk, and correct him afterwards.
At his subsequent fervorino(basically, an inspirational spiritual talk), Ignatius had so many verbal mishaps that Pedro became overwhelmed and stopped taking notes altogether. Afterwards, he told Ignatius with some awkwardness that there were simply too many errors to count. Ignatius replied, “with his typically cheery expression on his face, ‘Pedro, what are we going to do for the Lord?’”
I have always loved this seemingly insignificant little story. I think because it sums up St. Ignatius and his entire spirituality in a nutshell.
Ignatius was doing something and he wanted to do it well. He tried to get the speech right. He did his level best. He bravely negotiated the traps and pitfalls of a second language. But in the end, when it did not work out, when the original Jesuit just couldn’t get it right, when his difficulties with Italian appeared overwhelming, Ignatius immediately turned to what really counts: What are we going to do for the Lord?
In other words, I’m probably not going to get the language right, Pedro. Not now, not ever. So where is God in this? The question cuts to the heart of the matter. Appropriate use of language is important. A heart centered on the will of God is even more important. Can I trust that God will get my message into people’s hearts, no matter the rough idiomatic seas upon which that message travels?
Today is the Solemnity of St. Ignatius. It is the commemoration of one whose spirituality rises from the bricks of this sentiment: we do not cling to one fleeting thing over another fleeting thing. We cling to neither sickness nor health, riches nor poverty, a good reputation or bad, but only to that which serves God best. We cling neither to a crass dismissal of “proper speech,” nor do we sweat it overmuch when our speech falls apart.
Whatever you eat or drink, whatever you think or feel, however brilliantly or coarsely you speak, Ignatius would say, do it for the glory of God; and perhaps firebrands of God’s love will shine through you and set the world aflame.
