JESC happily celebrates, on this 31st July, the life and works of Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque noble who lived in the agitated XVI century, led an adventurous life that made him travel all over Europe, and ended up as the founder of the Jesuits, the biggest religious order of the Catholic Church with currently 14 thousand members scattered around 110 countries.
(Ignatius as a beggar by the Catalonian sculptor Lau Feliu, in the Church of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona)
Ignatius’s time was a period of intense changes, full of both promises and misdeeds. Envoys from European countries travelled to other continents, starting both enriching contacts and brutal ‘colonial’ exploitation. Protestantism spread across the continent, driven by a well-intentioned desire to break from a Church that was in dire need of reform, but often leading to self-serving political and economic gain. It was also the time of the Renaissance, with remarkable figures such as Copernicus, Michelangelo and Shakespeare, who opened new horizons of science and art .
Ignatius and his first Jesuit companions engaged in many of these new trends, with a spirit of openness to listen and know before any judging. They would try to practice ‘discernment’, not only to tell the difference between what was good and what was not, but also to understand, among several good possibilities, where and how they were called to serve. And when engaged in a mission, they would often commit to the full, which is the meaning of ‘magis’ that is still present today in the coat of arms of many Jesuit and Jesuit-affiliated schools, universities, parishes and social centres.
(Ignatius the Pilgrim, advancing against the wind, by William McElcheran, Loyola Centre in Guelph, Canada)
Today’s times are similar to Ignatius’ in many ways. We live among exciting new trends like the development of communications and AI, civil society mobilization and inspiring public figures. And we witness, live in our screens, the lowest levels of human decency, from Gaza to Ukraine, from Sudan to Myanmar, and to see a failing multilateralism still incapable, among many other global challenges, of addressing climate change and implementing effective development policies for all. So is human nature, happily and sadly capable of the best and of the worst. Yesterday as today, the call remains present, to move from lethargy and discouragement, to commitment and change, both at personal and professional level, in one’s life and together with friends and colleagues, teams and diverse institutions, all moved by the same spirit. A good Saint Ignatius’ Feast for all.
Filipe Martins SJ
JESC Director
