Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola

31Jul
Be still and know that I am God.
-Psalm 46:10


Today we observe the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order in the Roman Catholic Church. Born in 1491 to a noble and wealthy family in northern Spain, Ignatius led a wild and dissolute young life at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Joining the army with dreams of military glory, he was badly wounded in battle against the French in1521 when he was struck by a cannon ball in the leg. The wound was badly set and left him with a permanent limp. While recovering, Ignatius was given a copy of Life of Christ, written by a Carthusian monk. He read it, and his life was transformed. He subsequently went on retreat for thirty days to a cave near the Spanish town of Manresa and there developed what came to be known as The Spiritual Exercises, a form of prayerful meditation which many around the world, including me, engage to this day. It was also during these years that Ignatius formed the Jesuit Order whose mission over the years has evolved to include education (think Jesuit High School, Loyola University) and offering silent retreats. 


Manresa House of Retreats located outside Convent, St James Parish, is one of the leading Jesuit retreat centers in North America. It is a place of sublime beauty and serenity. Every weekend of the year, approximately one hundred men gather for a three-day Ignatian retreat held in complete silence. Manresa welcomes non-Catholics and I made twelve retreats there in the 80’s and 90’s. It was on these retreats, in the beauty and the mystery of the silence, walking the Levee adjacent to the magnificent grounds, in the chapel for teaching and worship, in conversation with Jesuit retreat masters, that I began to find the courage to affirm my call to ordained ministry.

We are living in noisy, chaotic, anxiety-making days. But in truth, it has been ever thus. Is there a remedy for this negative swirl that characterizes so much of everyday living? Jesus models this for us. You will see in the gospels that he was constantly moving back and forth from the active to the contemplative, from work to prayer, from engagement with the world to silent engagement with his Father. It was in this rhythm that Jesus found the interior resources for ministry. We can do the same. Find a quiet time and a quite place, every day, to sit in silence for 15-20 minutes. Perhaps take a brief passage form Scripture with you into the silence (that would be a very Ignatian practice). Don’t talk to God. Don’t ask God for anything. Just listen. Listen. Listen! God is speaking to us in every moment, but we are too busy and distracted to pay attention. I promise that if you make this a daily practice, you will find the silence to be soothing and restorative. You will find peace.


Beginning in September, Trinity will offer a weekly call to a kind of contemplative prayer called Centering Prayer. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the practice and to practice with others in 20 minutes of silent prayer. It is a remarkable experience to sit in silent prayer in a group. You will find Holy Spirit energy to be alive! 

I hope you will consider making silence part of your daily living. Leave the chaos behind. 


Be still. Know God.


Musical Reflection - Be Still - London Fox Taizé Choir


O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that You are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saints

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