I have been reading some material about St Ignatius of Loyola for an upcoming presentation. Ignatius was a sixteenth century Spaniard who was the founder of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. I have had a general acquaintance with Ignatius for quite a while, but never spent too much time in details.
I learned to appreciate the Jesuits during my graduate school days. A Jesuit seminary shared a campus with an Episcopal seminary very near my own seminary. I learned that was one of the benefits of attending graduate school where there was a cluster of first-rate theological schools. They all greatly benefited my own ecumenical development. When you come from such a provincial background as I did, you need exposure and engagement with those who are different than you. The Boston area did that for me.
Ignatius was born in northern Spain in 1491. During his young adult years, he fought in some local wars and in 1521 was severely wounded in a battle with the French. His recovery time at Loyola became a time of concentration on spiritual reading and, eventually, led to his own conversion. It was during this time he decided he would become a soldier for Christ. This led him to spend a significant time at Manresa.
It was during this time he had special spiritual experiences. And he began drafting his most famous book, the Spiritual Exercises. He spent the next few years studying at universities and then began attracting a band of followers who chose, like Ignatius, to be pilgrims of the faith. In 1540 the Pope approved the new order, the Jesuits. My own sense of the Jesuits is of men who are very well educated---often with two doctoral degrees.
I have enjoyed learning more about Ignatius and the Jesuits. One book has been valuable. What is Ignatian Spirituality by David Fleming has offered good, basic material. I would like to share a couple ideas from it, since these have helped me think about my own pilgrimage in the faith. I have learned that I have much in common with Jesuits and am glad to call them soul mates.
First I offer an introductory sense for what Ignatius offers his followers. Fleming observes, “Our spiritual journey is an attempt to answer the question, ‘what is life all about?” That connects very well with the basic question I had in my late teens and early twenties when I was in college. What is life all about? That is a central question to being human.
Fleming offers the basic Ignatian answer. Life is “a vision of God for our hearts, not our minds. It is a depiction of the Creator as a superabundant giver. He gives gifts that call for a response on our part, a free choice to return ourselves to him in grateful thanks, and love. It is a vision that only a heart can respond to.” (17) Let’s unpack and develop the ideas in this quotation.
Life becomes a good life with vision. In my case for life to be all that it could be, the vision needed to be spiritual, which meant it would be self-transcending. It had to be about more than just me. I like the added detail from Fleming when he notes it needs to be a vision of God for our hearts. This means the vision is not just another good idea. To be a vision for our hearts means that it is all-compelling---it demands all of us. I can have ideas, but still not be committed. A heart-vision compels commitment.
Then comes the line in Fleming which moved me. This vision of God is a depiction of the Creator as a superabundant giver. This is so much more than simply an affirmation that God creates. God is by nature a superabundant giver. It is as if God is incredibly rich and plans to lavish those riches on humankind and our world. Indeed, it is very moving to conceive of God in this vein. God gives gifts that call for a response. Most of us learn to respond to gifts. Our parents very early teach us to be grateful---to say thank you. We should learn this same gratitude for the lavish gifts of God’s grace. We can say thank you---gracias!
But our response to God’s superabundant giving should be more than a couple feeble words. Thank you is nice, but it is not enough. God’s superabundant giving calls for our response of ourselves---our very self. God appreciates our gratitude. But God desires more a relationship with us. God wants friends more than thanks. God desires to have friends in the spirit so that God’s intent for the world can be carried out by his friends. As friends of God, we will learn to be full of grace and mercy, just like our superabundant giver.
This is a full and bold proclamation and challenge. Because we are in the image of this superabundant giver, our call, vision and mission in life is crystal clear. We will be like-minded in our service to humankind and our world. I feel humbled by the possibilities and encouraged by the gifts I and we have been given.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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