MEMORIAL OF ST IGNATIUS LOYOLA, PRIEST & FOUNDER.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
"They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
"They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
"Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
"Where did this man get all this?”
"And they took offense at him.
"But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.”
"And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13: 54 - 58).
Friday 31st July in the 17th week in Ordinary Time is the Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola.
St Ignatius Loyola is a saint forged in suffering and fire.
Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) is the Basque nobleman‑turned‑soldier whose life was shattered—and then remade—by a cannonball at Pamplona in 1521.
During his long convalescence, with only The Life of Christ and Lives of the Saints to read, he experienced a profound conversion: from chasing worldly glory to desiring only to serve Christ.
That pivot is the heart of his story: God often uses brokenness to redirect a life toward holiness.
After his conversion, Ignatius withdrew to a cave near Manresa, where for months he lived in intense prayer, penance, and discernment.
It was there that he began writing what would become the Spiritual Exercises—a structured retreat guide designed to help people “find God in all things” and make free, faithful choices.
The Exercises are not just a book but a school of prayer: they train the heart to notice God’s movements (consolation and desolation), to test spirits, and to choose in line with the Gospel.
Ignatius gathered companions at Paris (including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber), and in 1540 Pope Paul III approved the Society of Jesus.
Ignatius became its first Superior General, sending Jesuits as missionaries, educators, and confessors “wherever there was hope of bringing greater good.”
The order’s charism flows from a key moment on the road to Rome (La Storta):
Ignatius received the assurance that God had “placed him with Christ the Son”—not merely as a follower, but as one called to carry the cross with Jesus.
That vision grounds the Jesuit motto Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (“For the greater glory of God”).
In our Gospel today from Matthew 13: 54 - 58, the people who listened to Jesus in the Synagogue were put off because Jesus did not come from a prestigious background.
They scorned the Son of Mary and the Carpenter's son.
We know that Jesus fulfilled His ministry of teaching, healing and feeding people regardless of public opinion.
How much are we conditioned by public opinion?
The saints fortify their hearts with prayer and the word of God. That is why they are fearless.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the life. Follow Him.
We honor the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in July. Today is the last day of the month of July.
In August, the Church honors the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Mary says: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."
In the last reflection in July on the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, we consider the Triumph of the Lamb and the Ignatian Vision.
The eternal adoration of the Precious Blood and the holy inebriation of the soul in Christ.
The final consummation of all things, where the entire cosmos is perfectly ordered under the headship of Christ, fulfilling the grand design of Divine Providence.
Ignatian Reflection:
"Blood of Christ, inebriate me."
On this Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, we pray to be entirely consumed by the saving stream of Calvary.
Through the action of the Holy Spirit and the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, Providence guides our souls into this divine intimacy—losing ourselves entirely to the love of Jesus, so that we may live ultimately Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (For the greater glory of God).
For Prayers and Prayer intentions for the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ click the link below:
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