Introduction
St Ignatius, or Iggy, as he is commonly referred to, is accredited with many things, but mainly associated with founding the Jesuits, which is the Society of Jesus. He is also well known for creating the “spiritual exercises, which, according to wikipedia,” is a brief set of meditations, prayers and mental exercises, available in various book formats, designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days.” He is also well known for “actively fighting the Protestant Reformation, and thus supporting the counter act opposing it. In addition to this he has been canonized and beatified since his death, and is now the patron saint of the Jesuits.
Early life
Ignatius was born into a royal family in 1491. When he was 16 he went to become an apprentice to “…Juan Velazquez, the treasurer of the kingdom of Castile.” While being a page he became addicted to gambling, and ladies. Although he was considered a knight, he had little knowledge of combat, beyond a few sword fighting tactics. When he was 30 he was defending the castle when the French attacked. He was struck by a canon ball which injured his legs, however, since the French respected him they took him back to his original home as oppose to taking him as a prisoner.
Acting upon of Reformation
His leg grew back improperly, so the doctor re-broke it and made it heal somewhat properly, so he could walk on it, but it was shorter than his other leg, which gave him a permanent limp. While healing after they re-broke his leg, Iggy began reading the bible, and stories of saints, these stories made him feel better then anything he had ever read before. This caused him to become very motivated to lead a life or religion.
Effects of Reformation
After he recovered enough to walk he planned on visiting Jerusalem, first he stopped at the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat, where he confessed all of his sins, and he then proceeded on to a cave near the town of Manresa, Catalonial. He ended up staying at this cave for 10 months during this time he came up with his ideas for the “spiritual exercises” and is said to have had a vision during his time at the cave. After these and many more religious experiences Iggy went on to go to college at the age of 33 so he could legally pursue a career in teaching and spreading religion. Eventually the pope assigned Ignatius to spread and preach theology after he completed his studies This lead to Ignatius wondering what to do next, so him and his friends, after praying and discussing very extensively decided to create a new order, as long as they could get the pope’s approval which the did.
Conclusion
In conclusion Iggy was an amazing person that gives us an example on how we can reform, and change our lives for the better if we focus on doing that.
Credits
Conor D. wrote and edited the original copy of this article