St Ignatius of Loyola

Mary on Montmartre, and Faber, the only one who was a priest, said Mass. They then took the vows of poverty and chastity, and pledged themselves to go to the Holy Land as missionaries or for the purpose of tending the sick; or if this design should prove impracticable, to go to Rome and place themselves at the dis posal of the pope for any purpose. But, there was on this occa sion no foundation of any society; the vows were individual obli gations. A provision was made that if, after waiting a year at Venice, they were unable to go to Jerusalem, they should betake themselves to Rome.

After taking the master's degree in March 1535, ill health re quired Ignatius to return to Spain a few months later. When he arrived near Loyola he would not go to the castle, but lived at the public hospice at Azpeitia, and began his usual life of teach ing Christian doctrine and reforming morals. He then made his way to Venice, where he arrived during the last days of 1535.

Here he waited for a year until his companions could join him, and meanwhile occupied himself in his usual good works, gaining several more companions. He was again accused of heresy, and it was said that he had escaped from the Inquisition in Spain and had been burnt in effigy at Paris, but these charges he was able to meet successfully. His companions arrived at Venice in Jan.

1537, and being sent by their leader to Rome, secured abundant alms for their proposed voyage to Palestine from Paul III. who also gave licence for those not yet priests to be ordained by any bishop on the title of poverty. Ignatius and the others had been ordained at Venice in June 1537. Ignatius waited for 18 months before saying Mass, which he did for the first time on Dec. 25, 1538, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

The year of waiting passed away without any chance of going to the Holy Land. Consequently it was decided that he, Laynez and Faber should go to Rome to place the little band at the dis posal of the pope. It was now that the Society began to take some visible form. A common rule was devised and a name adopted. Ignatius declared that having assembled in the name of Jesus, the association should henceforth bear the name of the "Company of Jesus." The word used shows Loyola's military ideal of the duties and methods of the nascent society.

On the road to Rome a famous vision took place. In a certain church near Rome, whilst in prayer, he was aware of a change in his soul ; and so openly did he see God the Father associating him with Christ who said "Ego vobis Romae propitius ero," that he could not dare to doubt the reality of his vision. The pope ap

pointed Faber to teach Scripture, and Laynez theology, in the university of the Sapienza. Ignatius was to carry on his spiritual work, which became so strenuous that he was obliged to call his other companions to Rome.

The "Spiritual Exercises..

The life of Ignatius is now mainly identified with the growth of his Society (see JEsuITs), for which he obtained, after difficulty, official recognition from Paul III. on Sept. 27, 154o. He was unanimously elected the first general in April 1541; and on the 22nd of that month re ceived the first vows of the Society in the church of San Paolo fuori la mura. He was now chiefly occupied with the completion of the Spiritual Exercises and the drawing up of the Constitu tions, which received their final form after his death. The latter is discussed in the article on the Jesuits. The Book of the Spiritual Exercises has been one of the world-moving books. In its strict conception it is only an application of the Gospel precepts to the individual soul, written to arouse conviction of sin, of justice and of judgment. While taking the title, the idea of division into three periods during which purity of soul, enlightenment and union are to be worked for, and the subjects of most of the meditations from the Exercitatorio de la vida Spiritual (1500) of Abbot Garcias de Cisneros, Ignatius skilfully adapted it to his own requirements. With his military instinct and views of obedience, Ignatius inter venes between the soul and God with a director who gives the exercises to the person who receives them. The Spiritual Exer cises have proved their value over and over again, and have re ceived the sincerest form of flattery in countless imitations. The original parts of the book are to be found principally in the medi tations; these are The Reign of Christ, wherein Christ as an earthly king calls his subjects to war : and Two Standards, one of Christ and the other of Lucifer. The practical results of the ex periences of Ignatius in the early stages of his conversion, appear in his various methods of prayer ; methods of making an election; his series of rules for the discernment of spirits ; rules for the distribution of alms and the treatment of scruples; and tests of orthodoxy.