The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time — John Shaqi
The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present TimeCampbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
History
The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time
Campbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
Jesuits -- History
Throughout the "Exercises," the insistent consideration of the
fundamental truths of Christianity, and the contemplation of the
mysteries or episodes of the life of Christ so illumine the mind and
inflame the heart that we cannot fail, if we are reasonable, at least to
desire to make the love of Christ the dominating motive of our life;
and, in view of that end, we are given at every step a new insight into
our duties to God, chiefly under the double aspect of our Creation and
Redemption; we are taught to scrutinize our thoughts, tendencies,
inclinations, passions and aspirations, and to detect the devices of
self-deceit; we are shown the dangers that beset us and the means of
safety that are available; we are instructed in prayer, meditation and
self-examination. The proper co-ordination of these various parts is so
essential, that if their interdependence is neglected, if the
arrangements and adjustments are disturbed and the connecting links
disregarded or displaced, the end intended by Saint Ignatius is
defeated. Hence the need of a director. It may be noted that the
"Exercises" were not produced at Manresa in the form in which we have
them now. They were touched and retouched up to the year 1541, that is
twenty years after Loyola's stay in the "Cueva", but they are
substantially identical with the book he then wrote.
After spending about a year in the austerities of the Cave, Ignatius
begged his way to Palestine, but remained there only six weeks. The
Guardian of the Holy Places very peremptorily insisted upon his
withdrawal, because his piety and his inaccessibility to fear exposed
him to bad treatment at the hands of the infidels. He then returned to
Spain and set himself to the study of the Latin elements, in a class of
small boys, at one of the primary schools of Barcelona. It was a rude
trial for a man of his years and antecedents, but he never shrank from a
difficulty, and, moreover, there was no other available way of getting
ready for the course of philosophy which he proposed to follow at
Alcalá. At this latter place, he had the happiness of meeting Laínez,
Salmerón and Bobadilla, but he also made the acquaintance of the jails
of the Inquisition, where he was held prisoner for forty-two days, on
suspicion of heresy, besides being kept under surveillance, from
November, 1526, till June of the year following. It happened, also, that
as he was being dragged through the streets to jail, a brilliant
cavalcade met the mob, and inquiries were made as to what it was all
about, and who the prisoner was. The cavalier who put the question was
one who was to be later a devoted follower of Ignatius; he was no less a
personage than Francis Borgia. Six years after the establishment of the
Society, Ignatius repaid Alcalá for its harsh treatment, by founding a
famous college there, whose chairs were filled by such teachers as
Vásquez and Suárez.
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