Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
It was on this date that St. Ignatius Loyola died in Rome in 1556. Although he had started in 1540 with only a few Jesuits, by the time he died there were over a thousand of them. They were men offering themselves entirely to God under the direction and leadership of Ignatius. What was it about this balding, middle-aged man with a limp that attracted so many disciples from all over Europe? It was his faith, his zeal and his discretion.
Christ said that “the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants… and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32). Something similar could be said about St. Ignatius: he started off quite small, but by listening to God and obeying his will, he became a great saint and many people found refuge in him.
You, too, as small as you may be, can grow if you let the kingdom of heaven take root in you. One way to do that, Ignatius might say, is to memorize these words from today’s gospel and come back to them throughout the day: “the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… when full-grown it is the largest of plants… and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” Then call forth an image in your mind of birds coming to rest on branches, and rest there with them.