Ignatius

Ignatius

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Ignatius

Ignatius got badly injured and it was thought that he would not be able to make it. When Ignatius was recovering from his injuries, he realized movements inside him. Ignatius read the books that were present in the castle regarding the life of saints and spent time thinking about them. During this time, Ignatius gave deep thought to overcoming the attraction towards sin and restraining himself so that he may avoid the actions that were present in the previous years of his life filled. This involved arrogance, pride and a desire for glory. He wanted to change his life for the better and remove all the negative characteristics his life may have. He had some thoughts that made him sad which included the vision of his life full of the things that he is trying to avoid e.g. pride and fame. While other thoughts made him happy which indicated his path towards God. While he was imagining his future, he began to notice these movements inside him. These were the feelings that he had never faced before. He understood that these thoughts, whether happy or sad, were coming from spirits ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"XiWAKBss","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Saint Ignatius Loyola, 2018)","plainCitation":"(Saint Ignatius Loyola, 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":150,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/6LK9YVHZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/6LK9YVHZ"],"itemData":{"id":150,"type":"book","title":"The Autobiography of St. Ignatius","publisher":"BoD – Books on Demand","number-of-pages":"82","source":"Google Books","abstract":"Reproduction of the original: The Autobiography of St. Ignatius by Saint Ignatius Loyola","ISBN":"978-3-7326-9148-7","note":"Google-Books-ID: mu5cDwAAQBAJ","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Loyola","given":"Saint Ignatius"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018",5,23]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Saint Ignatius Loyola, 2018). He contemplated that the negative thoughts were coming from the devil and the good and happy thoughts came from God. He faced a disturbing thought in his mind regarding the problems and difficulty that he would be facing in the life that is going to follow. Negative voices telling him about the difficulty of life without addictions of pride and fame engulfed his mind. He avoided these thoughts by controlling his mind and the way it perceives different thoughts thus regaining peace and clarity. Ignatius began to discern that the good spirits caused the internal movements that represented his path towards a better future that would be full of God’s blessings while the evil spirits caused the doubt that he has developed on following the path of virtue. He wanted to discern the spirits so that he would be able to understand the will of God in the lives of humans. The person should think about why he/she live and what is the meaning of his/her existence when it comes to spending the lifetime. Everyone desires to know why they have been created. If a person realizes the meaning of life, then total focus can be aimed towards it. It would allow the person to cut off any negative thoughts that may be in the mind stopping the person from reaching the goal. There would be positive thoughts that would provide satisfaction and the ability to follow the goal and these are the ones that the person should listen to. If the goal is good then there would be God’s blessing accompanying it.

According to Ignatius, the good and evil spirits tend to act on the individuals based on their spiritual condition. The people that have cut themselves off from the path of God and his blessings result in the good spirits being shaken up and disturbed. As a result of this, the feeling of discontentment and remorse swallows the individual. This gives the evil spirits a chance to further worsen the condition of the person and take him in to the never-ending depths of despair and darkness. On the contrary, the people that are leading their lives according to the rules of God just to please him, the good spirits provide peace, ease, and strength. As a result, the evil spirits act to remove the person from the path of virtue and into the path of obstacles and frustration. Ignatius comprehended that it is God’s nature to be good and lead the person to the way of inner peace. His mind began to discern the meaning of life. He realized that it is best to avoid all the pride and glory of his former years and start a new life. As he began to change his perception towards his lifestyle, he realized that it would bring him closer to God ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"RT4ZNgrO","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(St Ignatius Loyola, 2007)","plainCitation":"(St Ignatius Loyola, 2007)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":152,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/D8TD2PXR"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/D8TD2PXR"],"itemData":{"id":152,"type":"book","title":"The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola","publisher":"Cosimo, Inc.","number-of-pages":"230","source":"Google Books","abstract":"St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises between 1522 and 1524, and today, nearly five centuries later, Jesuits in training are still required to study it and follow its precepts during their first year in the novitiate. Not designed to be read cover to cover in one sitting, this book is made up of daily meditations meant to be closely examined in isolation over a period of about four weeks, under the guidance of a spiritual director. Though The Spiritual Exercises have traditionally been read primarily by those training for the priesthood, in recent years increasing numbers of lay people and non-Catholics are discovering its joys and insights. This edition-edited by Father Elder Mullan (1865-1925) and published in 1914-is essential for anyone interested in strengthening his or her faith and relationship with God.Spanish priest and spiritual philosopher SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA (1491-1556) has been described by Pope Benedict XVI as \"a man of God,\" \"a man of profound prayer,\" and \"a faithful servant of the Church.\" The principal founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius was canonized in 1622. His writings include Letters and Instructions of St. Ignatius Loyola 1 (1524-1547).","ISBN":"978-1-60206-373-0","note":"Google-Books-ID: RLiEZNmMp7IC","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Loyola","given":"St Ignatius"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2007",4]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (St Ignatius Loyola, 2007). Since he knew that the thoughts in his mind were taking him towards God, he began to distinguish that which is right and the other which is wrong. Ignatius began to realize these things and managed to shut out the negative voices that were leading him to the path of addiction and God’s wrath. As he did this, he trained his mind and thinking to think about the positivity there is in the path of God. Discerning the two voices is not an easy task and it requires a lot of training, inner peace, and maturity. God does not give his commands in clear spoken words. He just prompts it through very subtle signs. It is up to the people to discern it and find out what he wants from us. Once a person learns to read these signs and know which of the commands is from good spirits and which are from evil spirits, only then can he move closer to God. A path may seem difficult and there might be many obstacles. But if the message that has been discerned has peace at the end then the path should be followed for it is the path that would ultimately lead towards what is right ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"wAhz8lKT","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Prevot, 2017)","plainCitation":"(Prevot, 2017)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":156,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/7WGQKH4A"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/7WGQKH4A"],"itemData":{"id":156,"type":"article-journal","title":"Ignatian Spirituality, Political Effectiveness, and Spiritual Discernment: Dean Brackley's Account of Liberation Theology","container-title":"Political Theology","page":"309-324","volume":"18","issue":"4","source":"DOI.org (Crossref)","DOI":"10.1080/1462317X.2017.1311061","ISSN":"1462-317X, 1743-1719","title-short":"Ignatian Spirituality, Political Effectiveness, and Spiritual Discernment","journalAbbreviation":"Political Theology","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Prevot","given":"Andrew"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017",5,19]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Prevot, 2017).

The two terms are opposite to one another. Consolation is the feeling of overcoming with the passion of God’s love. This forces the person to be compelled towards the praise, love, and attitude to serve God. On the other hand, when we talk about desolation, it is the experience of doubts, darkness, and sadness in the mind. This takes the person towards the feeling of anxiety and isolation. According to Ignatius, these feelings take the person away from faith and into sadness and despair. The main thing to remember in these two terms is that on which path either of these terms is taking the person towards. It is not always the case that the consolation would take the person to the positive side full of contentment and happiness. The same is the case with desolation. Desolation does not always lead the person towards doubt, anxiety, and resentment. There are cases when the consolation may lead us away from what is right and the path of happiness while on the other hand desolation may take us towards what is right for us, maybe the path of God. Consolation would be an illusion if it takes a person away from the decisions that should be made for the betterment. The main thing to remember is that one should look at the long run and into the future. Do the thoughts in our mind move us toward God or away from him? It does not matter what thought one has in their mind. It could be either of consolation or desolation. The ultimate thing is that one should be concerned about the outcome of the thought and not that particular moment ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"GCHgdFvN","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Fleming, 2010)","plainCitation":"(Fleming, 2010)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":154,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/XXIG33TS"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/WKtM8IGm/items/XXIG33TS"],"itemData":{"id":154,"type":"book","title":"What Is Ignatian Spirituality?","publisher":"Loyola Press","number-of-pages":"131","source":"Google Books","abstract":"Its effects are often life changing. But what exactly is it, and why do so many people embrace it? The most influential spiritual movement of the modern age is Ignatian spirituality, an approach to the spiritual life based on the insights of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatian spirituality teaches an active attentiveness to God joined with a prompt responsiveness to God, who is ever active in people's lives. In What Is Ignatian Spirituality?, David L. Fleming, SJ, provides an authoritative yet highly accessible summary of the key elements of Ignatian spirituality, among which are contemplative prayer, discernment, and dynamic involvement in service and mission. In twenty concise chapters, Fr. Fleming explains how this centuries-old method of disciplined reflection on God's work in the world can deepen our spiritual lives today and guide all the decisions we make.","ISBN":"978-0-8294-3092-9","note":"Google-Books-ID: EvgAC3ugVeYC","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Fleming","given":"David L."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2010",6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Fleming, 2010). The main thing to remember about consolation is that it should follow the feeling of God’s blessings, happiness, and contentment. Even if there is a moment where you would have to face hardship but it is known that it would be for the pleasure of God then you can easily discern among the good and the evil. I have also faced this many times in my life that there came a time when I had to decide whether I should think about the people or do things to please God. These include various examples in following the rules and not cheating on others. The immediate answer was of attraction towards these but I knew that I had to be answerable to Lord and these are not of his liking. So, I backed away from them knowing that it would please God.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Fleming, D. L. (2010). What Is Ignatian Spirituality? Loyola Press.

Loyola, Saint Ignatius. (2018). The Autobiography of St. Ignatius. BoD – Books on Demand.

Loyola, St Ignatius. (2007). The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Cosimo, Inc.

Prevot, A. (2017). Ignatian Spirituality, Political Effectiveness, and Spiritual Discernment: Dean Brackley’s Account of Liberation Theology. Political Theology, 18(4), 309–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317X.2017.1311061