Francis is the first Jesuit Pope... but St. Ignatius of Loyola was the first Jesuit




Pope Francis is the most popular Jesuit in the world, but what exactly characterizes his religious Order? The charism needs to be traced back to the founder of the Society of Jesus: St. Ignatius of Loyola.

CHRIS LOWNEY
Author: Why the Pope Leads the Way He Leads
"So the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius, created a series of spiritual exercises, a series of meditations that help people to think how they might follow Jesus in the circumstances of their own life.”

The spiritual exercises are a series of meditations and prayers that were developed by St. Ignatius. Since the motto of the Order is to do things for 'God's Greater Glory,' it's no wonder that the exercises were developed to strengthen one's relationship with God: Through self awareness and reflection, for example, doing away with inner restraints.

CHRIS LOWNEY
Author: Why the Pope Leads the Way He Leads
"Maybe I’m greedy and so I want to make choices that have to do with accumulating money for myself and so on or maybe I’m attached to my own fears. Like maybe the right or best thing to do now, would be to try a new career, or to take a little more risks in terms of how I talk to people about my values or religious beliefs, but because I’m attached to my own fears of making a mistake or looking foolish, I’m not free enough to do what I should be doing.”

We see the Pope reflect on these very teachings. From embracing a missionary spirit, to letting go of self imposed limitations based on fear. He has often says it's better to make mistakes than to have a closed off Church.

POPE FRANCIS
(September 2013)
"I'll say it one thousand times. I'd rather have a wounded Church than a sick Church.”

When he speaks of going to the frontier and reaching out to others, that too, can be traced back to the Jesuit mindset. They're known for being educators. As missionaries, Jesuits were the first to evangelize in parts of Latin America, India, Africa and the far East. But it's not just about being a missionary in far away countries. One can be a missionary at home.

CHRIS LOWNEY
Author: Why the Pope Leads the Way He Leads
"We have people who are alienated from the Church, who really haven’t had much exposure to religion. They don’t care about religion. Whatever it might be. So I think the way his frontier spirit manifests is that kind of focus.”

So when the Pope says he thinks like a Jesuit, more than likely, it's this type of formation he's referring to. On the Feast Day of St. Ignatius, Jesuits will celebrate their founder's legacy, which gave way to the first Jesuit Pope.

Related Posts:

St. Ignatius of Loyola: Knight for Christ

The legacy and spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

St. Raymond Nonnatus, Patron of Expectant Mothers, Midwives, and Newborn Babies

Image
The saint of the day for August 31 is St. Raymond Nonnatus. He is the patron of expectant mothers, midwives, obstetricians, infertile couples, and newborn babies. Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain in 1204, the son of wealthy parents. He was delivered by cesarean section when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). In his childhood, he seemed to find pleasure only in his devotions and serious duties. His father, sensing that Raymond was drawn to religious life, ordered him to manage one of the family farms. Raymond readily obeyed but spent his time with the shepherds and workers, studying and praying until his father abandoned the idea of making his son a worldly success. Raymond later joined the the Order of Our Lady of Mercy or the Mercederians, which was founded by St. Peter Nolasco, who devoted to ransoming Christians captured by the Moors. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hosta
Read more