On July 31st we celebrate the Feast Day of St Ignatius.
St Ignatius has had a profound impact on all Catholics and his entire life and legacy is pure gift.
I was reflecting on the words of Fr Dermot Preston, previous British Provincial of the Society of Jesus, and it made me laugh out loud.
“It is reported that when a British Jesuit was asked, ‘Father, when you die, will you be afraid to meet Jesus?’, the Jesuit’s prompt response was ‘No… but I’m terrified of meeting St Ignatius!’ I suspect many Jesuits would smile and resonate with that. Yes: on the Day of Judgment, Ignatius will be giving us a harder time than Our Lord and Saviour.
An imaginative contemplation? Picture the scene: Jesus is the rather understanding Major-General, mingling with us, his recently returned troops, back from a demanding (but only partially-successful) mission. He moves among us and shakes hands; he is grateful for our labours, he murmurs encouragement and thanks us for our contribution in difficult circumstances. But we know that in the shadows of the arrivals lounge, waiting patiently, is Sergeant-Major Ignatius. He is just biding his time, waiting for that amiable Major-General to move on – and then we just know that Ignatius is going to come over and give us ‘a right bollocking’.
Strangely, I find this a comforting image. In a world which is afraid of prophetic contradiction and pushes rampant individualism, hard task-masters are frowned upon because they question our singular pace and push us to keep up to a collective mark. As Superior of the Society, Ignatius famously used to tear strips off his closest colleagues if he felt that they had fallen short of his (and their) standards. But they adored him, because they knew that he understood them, knew what they were capable of, loved them and really only wanted the best for them, ad maiorem Dei gloriam. “
I’m not sure I imagine Ignatius this way. I see him more as a faithful companion keen to see me live ‘fully alive’ and open to life’s joys and challenges. Many years ago my son Tom brought home the funeral Mass booklet of Fr John Ramsay sj. On the back cover was this prayer.
Lord help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together can’t handle.
I found 4 sturdy magnets and put the prayer on our fridge. I grew to truly love this prayer, I learnt it off by heart, and best of all it works!
Thank you Fr Ramsay sj and thank you Ignatius. This prayer has led me slowly inch by inch to find God in all things.
by Virginia Ryan