Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Why Ignatius Matters

(I’m posting this reflection from a few years ago because July 31 is the feast of Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits and author of the Spiritual Exercises.)

Like any great person, Ignatius matters because he has something important to say. Not everyone was sure of that in his lifetime, especially early on when the Inquisition put him in jail (more than once) until they decided that he wasn’t a danger to the faith. Over the last four and a half centuries, however, millions of people have found Ignatian spirituality helpful because, among other things, it highlights three important aspects of Christian belief.

The first is the conviction that God’s response to our flawed and sinful world is not to withdraw from it in anger or indifference, but to enter it more deeply and transform it, especially in the person of Jesus Christ. As a result, God can be found anywhere, even in situations which appear undesirable or wrong. No evil can exclude God’s ability to transform it into something else.

Secondly, Ignatius believed that God invites people to be His co-workers in the world. Though God could establish His kingdom in the world without human cooperation, He does not wish that. Instead, God calls people to be intimate companions in His dreams and labors. Anything we have can be put to use, provided we put it at God’s disposal. The achievement of God’s project for the world and the human family will, thus, be our achievement as well as God’s

Finally, such a shared enterprise requires a commitment both absolute and, paradoxically, very flexible. Ignatius has been accused of teaching that the ends justify the means. He did not; but he did believe that there are many good ways to reach a goal, rarely just one. In any given situation one may be more effective than others in advancing God’s glory and is to be preferred even if it is contrary to one’s personal likes and dislikes.

None of these three ideas are unique to Ignatius, as if they were his and his alone. They all take their origin from the gospels and the Christian faith. But in our time of rapid, often disorienting, change, people easily lose sight of human dignity and the value of human effort. Ignatius offers an affirmation of God’s commitment to our world and our importance to Him. That’s a lot to offer people.

What More Is There?

SOMETHING NEW AT THE BRIDGE

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Summer Plateau

After having been away for most of June, I returned to find my town had come to rest in what I call the Plateau of Summer. That is when leaves on trees are no longer light green, but dark green; when the temperatures not longer edge into the 70’s but stay in the 80’s and 90’s every day; and when the wind blows not just warm, but hot and dry.

I know this state of affairs won’t last more that four or five weeks before the leaves start showing tiny splotches of red and yellow and the night air begins to cool.

When that happens, it will be time to start thinking about fall. But that will be then, and, happily, this is now.

Sign of Times Past