Ignatius was released from his 22 days of imprisonment
in Salamanca with the stipulation that he is prohibited from catechizing on
certain subjects because he was not ordained and lacked formal training.
He found great difficulty
in remaining in Salamanca, for in the matter of helping souls it seemed to him
that the door had been closed by this prohibition....
The same desire that he
had to help souls, and for that reason to study first and gather some others
for the same purpose and to keep those he had, did not fail him. Resolving to
go to Paris, he arranged with [his companions] to wait there while he went to
see if he could find some means by which they could study.
Many important persons
strongly insisted that he should not go, but they could never dissuade him. ...
When he arrived in Barcelona all those who knew him advsied him against the
journey to France because of the great wars there, recounting many specific
examples, even telling him that they put Spaniards on roasting spits, but he
never had any kind of fear.
I am grateful that "many important persons... could never dissuade him". I suspect this was true with many issues for St. Ignatius but I thank God for the devotion and persistence of St. Ignatius.
ReplyDeleteOnce he knew what God wanted, that was all that mattered. He was a reasonable man open to new ideas as long as they led to God's greater glory.
DeleteIt always inspires me to read stories like this. Fortitude in the face of doubt is such a grace.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly had zeal that drove him closer toward God. Such courage is too often frowned upon by authorities because it seems a person is acting out of unmet needs. I'm very grateful for Ignatius' zeal. It inspires me to go back to original sources.
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