The Ignatian Year, which started on 20 May last year, is coming to a close as we celebrate the feast of St Ignatius de Loyola on 31 July. It has been a celebration of Ignatius’s conversion 500 years ago following his injury at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521.
The focus of our celebration is Christ, not Ignatius nor the Society of Jesus. Hence, the motto is “to see all things new in Christ.” But I hate to think that with the end of the Ignatian Year, we can now put at the back burner our desire for conversion and revert to the business-as-usual mode. We know that a conversion experience is a lifetime process, and there will not be a moment when it ceases.
To see all things new in Christ is not a one-time event. St Ignatius had other conversion experiences apart from his recovery in Loyola. He changed his extreme penances of fasting and deprivation to more appropriate ways of mortification. He changed his individualistic desire for his own personal salvation to engaging others, forming a band of “friends in the Lord” to help souls, leading eventually to the establishment of the Society of Jesus in 1540. He changed his desire to go to the Holy Land and from simply following the footsteps of Jesus to submitting themselves to the Pope for mission. He changed from a more controlling way of following Jesus to being led by the Spirit. He became more collaborative in his approach to the mission eventually putting the Society at the complete service of the Church through the Roman Pontiff. In his lifetime, Ignatius experienced numerous transformations, numerous ways of seeing all things new in Christ.
In this way, Fr General in his message invites us to pursue newness of life and freedom. I end with his words: “We are entering into what can be a transformative moment for the Society of Jesus (and our companions). It can be a moment that releases new energy, new freedom, new initiatives, new love for others, and for our most afflicted brothers and sisters. In remembering St Ignatius of Loyola and his conversion, we find encouragement. We realise that ‘Yes, change is possible. Yes, our hearts can be softened. Yes, our world can find new ways forward.’ We place our hands in the hands of Jesus, our brother and friend, and we go forth into an uncertain but hopeful future, confident that He is with us and that His spirit is guiding us.”
Happy feast day! I hope and pray that the spirit of conversion of St Ignatius continues to remain in our hearts.
Tony Moreno SJ
President, Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
Feast of St Ignatius, 31 July 2022