From Lord, Have Mercy: Praying for Justice with Conviction and Humility LIVING GENEROUSLY: IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA The Spanish soldier and founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius of Loyola, lived in a very different time and place. Yet he too came to an understanding of prayer as central to the Christian life. In many ways, Ignatius lived quite opposite to the way the desert ascetics did. The early monks and nuns retreated to the desert; Ignatius brought his mission to the cities – to Barcelona and Rome, to Jerusalem and Paris. Many desert elders lived in solitude; Ignatius traveled with a band of companions, fellow visionaries and missionaries, who would become the “Society of Jesus,” or the Jesuits. They would work actively to serve the church in a tumultuous time – a time of massive ecclesial corruption and the challenge of the Reformation – through evangelization, education, and spiritual guidance. Like the desert ascetics, though, Ignatius left behind a witness to the importance of prayer, humility, and discernment. For Ignatius, prayer guided one to perceive one’s purpose in life, make right choices, and act generously in the world. Ignatius of Loyola led a carefree, nobleman’s life until about the age of twenty, when he was [...]![]()
