Celebrating the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Today, the Loyola Blakefield community joins Jesuit institutions around the world in celebrating the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. His vision—to seek God in all things and to live for the greater glory of God—continues to guide our mission of forming young men of conscience, compassion, and competence.
In a world marked by uncertainty and division, Ignatius’ call to be men and women for and with others resonates more deeply than ever.
On this sacred day, our faculty and staff were invited to gather for Mass and fellowship. It was a great way to not only celebrate the legacy of St. Ignatius and his impact on our vocation, but also to connect in the midst of summer prior to the busy start of the new school year. In Rev. Dennis M. Baker's homily, he reminds us that Ignatius’s greatest gift wasn’t just the Society of Jesus, but rather his ability to teach others how to pray, discern, and live with God at the center of their lives. As we honor him, we’re really celebrating the God he pointed to, always “right in front.”
As part of today’s celebration, Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J., offered a reflection on how Ignatius’ legacy can inspire us to live our faith with courage, humility, and love. Read his homily below.
_____
_____
St. Ignatius Feast Day Homily – Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J.
Ignatius wrote more letters than just about anyone in his time—over seven thousand of them. And he did it all with ink, paper, and no spellcheck or ChatGPT. These letters touch on nearly everything—from the loftiest matters of the soul to very practical concerns. For example, in one letter, he forbids certain Jesuit houses from importing wine. Lest you fear Ignatius was stuck in his abstemious ways, he told those houses instead to stick to beer or whatever wine the locals were drinking.
Now, if you’ll indulge me, I want to share part of a letter he wrote to a woman named Inés Pascual. This was written on December 6, 1524—501 years ago—shortly after his pilgrimage to Jerusalem was cut short and he found himself back in Barcelona. It’s a deeply personal letter, and it gives us a glimpse into the heart of the man we celebrate today.
He writes, “For the love of God, our Lord, please press on, leaving behind you all the obstacles. If you keep clear of them, no temptation will have any power against you...His wish is, rather, that you should live joyfully, allowing your body to have what it needs...The commandments of the Lord should be given first place, right in front. That is what He wants…We are more likely to reach our limit in receiving His gifts than He will be in giving them.”
He signs it, simply: “The poor pilgrim, Iñigo.”
There it is. Not Ignacio de Loyola, or founder of the Society of Jesus. Just Iñigo. Just a man trying to follow Jesus as honestly and deeply as he could.
I imagine if Ignatius knew there was a feast day in his honor, he’d be mortified. I think he’d roll his eyes and say, “You missed the point.” And maybe we have. Ignatius was a remarkable man, no doubt. He was holy, visionary, and courageous. But he wasn’t holy for the fun of it. He was holy because he helped people grow closer to God. That’s the real gift he gave the world. If we think today is about Ignatius, I think we have it all wrong. Today is about God.
When we were younger Jesuits, we were taught that Ignatius’s most important contribution wasn’t the Society of Jesus, it was the Spiritual Exercises. His true genius wasn’t in founding a religious order or all these schools, but in teaching people how to pray, how to listen, and how to discern God’s voice in our daily lives.
And can’t we hear that in the letter to Inés? He’s not calling her to heroic suffering or some dramatic sacrifice. He’s calling her to joy and real clarity. He tells her to put God first: “right in front.” That line says it all. Ignatius knew from his own experience that anything less was not only misguided, it was exhausting. It wouldn’t make us holy, and it certainly wouldn’t make us happy.
Ignatius’s life is a window into how God works—not just in grand, historical moments, but in ordinary human lives. God works in our questions, and in our efforts. God is at work in our small attempts to love more honestly, to live more freely, and certainly to pray more deeply.
So that’s what we celebrate today. Not just a saint with a dramatic cannonball moment followed by great conversion story. We celebrate a man who became such a close friend of Jesus that he couldn’t help but share that friendship with other people. Even more, he taught people how to build their own relationship with God. How to recognize God’s voice, how to trust it, how to let it guide our lives.
May we do the same.
And as Ignatius instructed Ines, may God have a prominent place in our own lives. Right in front.
