Thoughts of St. Ignatius Loyola for Every Day of the Year

by Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola is one of the great shapers of the Catholic tradition. The Spanish soldier turned pilgrim for Christ bequeathed not only an extraordinary institutional legacy but also a distinctive spirituality that today nourishes men and women looking for ways to integrate faith and life. Informing Jesuit education, ministry, and training in communities around the world, Ignatian spirituality offers a practical vision―of engaged, responsible, discerning men and women striving to find God in all things―that resonates in this age of transition.

Drawn from the vast body of Ignatius’s writings, these 365 maxims help everyone reflect on the presence of God in daily life. First complied by the Jesuit scholar Gabriel Hevenesi in 1715 as Scintillae Ignatianae, these brief thoughts, supplications, prayers, directions, and other aphorisms were first published in an English translation in 1928 but have been unavailable in book form for many years.

Organized into a daybook for contemplation, Ignatius’s words serve as personal spiritual exercises. They touch on a range of topics, from affirmations of God’s presence and Christ’s love to practical advice for living a life of virtue in service to others. In this accessible gathering, anyone seeking a richer spiritual life will find words that inspire, challenge, enlighten, and transform.

FROM THE BOOK

“A little holiness and great health of body does more in the care of souls than great holiness and little health.“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”

“The sharper you are at noticing other people’s failings, the more apt you will be to overlook your own.”

“Go and set the whole world on fire.”

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2006

About the author

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was the principal founder and first Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius paid particular attention to the spiritual formation of his recruits and recorded his method in the Spiritual Exercises (published in Latin in 1548). In time, the method has become known as Ignatian spirituality. Ignatius was described by Pope Benedict XVI as being above all a man of God, who gave the first place of his life to God, and a man of profound prayer. Together with Peter Faber and Francis Xavier, he founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits), and became its first Superior General, in Paris in 1541. He envisioned the purpose of the Society of Jesus to be missionary work and teaching. In addition to the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty of other religious orders in the church, Loyola instituted a fourth vow for Jesuits of obedience to the Pope, to engage in projects ordained by the pontiff. Jesuits were instrumental in leading the Counter-Reformation. He was beatified and then on March 12, 1622, was canonized. His feast day is July 31. He is the patron saint of the Basque historical territories of Guipúzcoa and Biscay and the Society of Jesus, among other things. He was declared patron saint of all spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922.

Reviews

[❀ Diana ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un fel de to-do list spiritual și care poate fi utilizat și în zilele noastre. Câteva „gânduri de suflet” care mi-au plăcut:

18th of March: You will be helped more in procuring another man’s salvation by meekness and humility than by authority; and you will gain your end sooner by yielding than by fighting.

11th of September: If you promise anything for tomorrow, do it today rather than put it off.

29th of October: If you seek peace and tranquillity, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.

[Peter Gehred · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of aphorisms from a spiritual, psychological, and organizational genius. Worthwhile and applicable insights that can be digested day by day.