AMDG

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AMDG, jesuits, JMJ, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning I learned something new about acronyms. It’s only if the letters of the acronym can be pronounced and used as a word (like NASA) that it is correct to call what you are using an acronym. Otherwise it’s called an initialism (like FBI or CIA). There is so much shortening of words in both categories these days that hardly any conversation includes all complete words – to the detriment of those not initiated into this way of speaking. I see it most on television (TV) commercials about health care these days and it’s rather frustrating. If you miss the first ten seconds of the commercial you have also missed the fact that they are talking about deep vein thrombosis when they say – throughout the advertisement – “DVT.” And I remember how long it took me to decode “24/7” when it became popular.

Today is the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (Society of Jesus, the religious order he founded, commonly called the Jesuits). The conversion story of this soldier is not dissimilar to that of St. Francis of Assisi and of other great ones whose life was changed by a serious wound or illness during military service. For Ignatius, it was fortuitous that during his recuperation there were no books available to him except stories of the lives of Christ and the saints, which he read and credited with his conversion.

When I was in what used to be called “grammar school” (an interesting descriptive should you be led to research it), we were often directed to write at the top of all papers that we turned in (especially our tests) “JMJ.” All Roman Catholic children knew that initialism to stand for Jesus, Mary, Joseph, likely to remind us to dedicate our work to the Holy Family. As we grew into middle school we were introduced to “AMDG” = Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the greater glory of God) I don’t know when I learned that the Latin phrase was the motto of the Jesuits, but it adorned all my efforts in school and now directs my life.

Whatever the acronym or initialism or word or motto or other phrase that reminds us of God’s place in our life (or even if our devotion is wordless), we might take a moment today to consider what leads us to that mindfulness and be grateful for our teachers, and for the great ones like Ignatius, whose influence remains visible throughout the world today.

Ignatius of Loyola

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Ad majorem Dei gloriam, daily prayer, God's will, grace, jesuits, love one another, reflection, retreat, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Society of Jesus, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Spiritual Exercises

When I was in elementary school at Our Lady Help of Christians parish, it was the custom on our tests (and probably other written work) to place a small cross at the top of the page and underneath to print JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph). I don’t remember being instructed each time to do what was most likely supposed to become a habit of dedicating our work to the Holy Family but I suspect for many of us it was either a desperate prayer for help or a desire to be seen as pious. Later on, as we grew into the upper grades and got more sophisticated, the letters changed to AMDG (Ad majorem Dei gloriam = for the greater glory of God). Knowing the meaning in English was easier than remembering the Latin words, at least until we got to high school. It wasn’t until much later that I learned how famous that phrase was.

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of The Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. The life story of Ignatius and his “society” is a great read which I will not repeat here (see “saint of the day” from www.franciscanmedia.com for the concise version) but it is clear that the influence of this man who lived from 1491 to 1556 – and died on this day – is greater today than in his lifespan because of his work that has come to be known as The Spiritual Exercises. Originally written for the Jesuits themselves, in our time the Exercises have been incorporated into the lives of people – religious and lay – throughout the world who are seeking spiritual growth. Based on the gospels and written as a four-week retreat, it is a rigorous daily commitment to prayer and reflection that can set one on a course for life. For those who cannot spend an entire month in retreat, there is “the nineteenth annotation” process, wherein each “day” becomes a week spread over 30 weeks. (much information on line).

The goal of everything for Ignatius was doing the will of God, thus the motto: Ad majorem Dei gloriam. This desire is captured in a simple, sincere prayer attributed to him that I believe may be the most profound gift we can offer to God each day.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will – all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“AMDG”

Tags

Ad majorem Dei gloriam, conversion, find God in all things, inner fire, intervention, jesuits, saints, Society of Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Spiritual Exercises

As a child in Catholic school, I offered my work, as did all my classmates, to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Especially on tests, our papers were signed at the top with a small cross and the letters JMJ. As a high school student studying Latin there often appeared a more sophisticated reminder at the top of our papers: AMDG under the cross reminded us that all our work was dedicated “for the greater glory of God.” (Ad majorem Dei gloriam) I doubt that I knew at that time the origin of that phrase as a motto although I was aware of the esteemed men’s religious community that claimed it: the Jesuits, formally named the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century. Today is the feast of St. Ignatius.

Jesuits are famous for their scholarship, marked especially by the many colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. It is also interesting that the founding of this extraordinary company of dedicated men was quite similar to that of the Franciscans three centuries earlier. Both men, Francis and Ignatius, were soldiers who because of illness – Francis as a prisoner of war and Ignatius as a result of a shattered leg in battle – spent a year in convalescence during which each had a deep conversion experience. As a result, each dedicated himself totally to the work of God in differing but all-consuming ways.

The life of Ignatius and his “Company” is fascinating and it seems that much of his success – as in the life of Francis – in drawing others to his cause was his own inner fire and dedication. The basis of his teaching, his living, was finding God in all things and his legacy is seen most clearly today in his major written work, The Spiritual Exercises. Christians from every denomination and walk of life are now participating in the rigorous spiritual journey of a 30 or 40-day retreat based on the Exercises. For those unable to participate in such a concentrated time away, an adaptation called The Nineteenth Annotation of the Exercises is available. In this format, each “day” of reflection becomes a week, thus the process is spread out over 30 weeks and becomes for many a method of Scriptural reflection for a lifetime.

My interest this morning in reflection on Ignatius, however, is focused on that cannonball that so maimed his leg that he was blocked from pursuing what seemed to be a call to military greatness. Sometimes we are on a path that seems our true calling when something or someone intervenes and everything turns around. Sometimes the intervention is less stunning but still requires a response. I smile when I think of Ignatius because his conversion began in a rather ironic way. As he was lying in bed,  the story goes that there were no books (romances) to interest him in reading. All he could find or the only things that were offered to him were books concerning the life of Christ and the saints. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Whether we are shocked into our destiny or see it unfold incrementally day to day, God speaks to us and it behooves us to listen because, as Ignatius taught, we can “find God in all things.” The time to wake up is always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missionaries

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gift of our time, greater good, helping people, jesuits, joy, listening, Matthew, missionary, preach, sacrifice, St. Francis Xavier, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

One of the founding tenets of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) is the willingness to go anywhere in the world that there is a call to serve God. A hallmark of this service is the willingness to share the life of the indigenous people, adopting their language and living habits re: food, dress, etc. Today is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, a contemporary of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits in the 1500s. Francis was an academic in Paris who, at the age of 24 took to heart the question of Jesus: What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his [spiritual] life? (MT 16:26) It was Ignatius who asked Francis this question which appears for us in today’s lectionary readings. It took awhile, but Francis eventually joined Ignatius in his new community and after ordination as a priest in 1537 went as a missionary, sailing first to Lisbon and then to the west coast of India serving the poor as one of them wherever he went. He ministered especially to the sick, particularly to lepers, and while he often had no time for sleep or for prayer, his letters testify to the joy that always filled his life. He moved on to Malaysia and Japan, learning Japanese and establishing missions for those who would follow him. Although he dreamed of going to China, he became ill and eventually died on the island of Sancian, a hundred miles southwest of Hong Cong. In 1925 the Catholic Church declared him, with St. Therese of Lisieux, co-patron of the missions.

Commentary from americancatholic.org on this feast says the following: All of us are called to “go and preach to all nations” (see MT 28:19). Our preaching is not necessarily on distant shores but to our families, our children, our husband or wife, our coworkers. And we are called to preach not with our words but with our everyday lives. Only by sacrifice, the giving up of all selfish gain, could Francis Xavier be free to bear the good news to the world. Sacrifice is leaving yourself behind at times for a greater good, the good of prayer, the good of helping someone in need, the good of just listening to another. The greatest gift we have is our time. Francis gave this to others.

Who is waiting for your listening ear today? Who is waiting for mine?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are the Clay

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clay, God, jeremiah, jesuits, potter, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Spiritual Exercises

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola  (1491-1556) who was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannonball shattered his leg. During his convalescence, because choices were few, he read a life of Christ and the saints and was deeply touched. His life story is worth a read as he became a tireless servant of God who founded the Society of Jesus – the Jesuits – and wrote The Spiritual Exercises which forms the basis of spiritual practice for innumerable people – lay and religious alike – in today’s world. Ignatius was a proponent of finding God in all things and his motto was “For the greater glory of God.”

Today’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah (18: 1-6) might have been written for Ignatius, as well as for each of us. It is the story of God’s instruction to Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. As Jeremiah did so and watched the potter form and reform the clay, God says to/through him, “Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” I have great admiration for people who work with clay, having once tried it myself with less than stellar result. Keeping the clay moist, turning the wheel endlessly while forming the object, feeling everything to be just right…not as easy as it looks to the watcher. And then there is the firing in the kiln. Cracks often ruin the piece so the potter must begin again. That reflection makes me grateful to God that he never gave up when I got dry or when my cracks appeared. And being the clay is a daunting process as well. Trying to remain malleable in times of great turmoil (having a leg shattered by a cannonball!) or the small times of distress, willing to go through the fire of testing to come out well-formed and whole…is the work of a lifetime. The key is in surrendering to the hand of the potter and trusting in the skill that the potter possesses for our benefit. Ah, but the beauty of a well-tooled vessel! Who can ignore the invitation to become that?

A First

Tags

Auriesville, jesuits, missionaries, Mother Marianne Cope, saints, st. kateri tekakwitha, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When I was a child in Catholic school, we learned about missionaries from Europe who came to North America in the 1600s to work with the Native Americans. The native people called them “Blackrobes” because of their religious habit. They were members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. There were exciting stories which sounded like the “Wild West” but were situated much nearer to where I lived in Massachusetts. We learned about a place in upstate New York called Auriesville – about 30 miles from Albany where St. Isaac Jogues and his companions ministered to the Iroquois nation and were protected by a peace treaty. Unfortunately Jogues was killed at the hands of a Mohawk war party, but his companions continued to serve the five nations and it was there that a young native maiden named Kateri Tekakwitha came under their tutelage and converted to Christianity. Because she was Christian she was always in danger from her own people, who treated her as a slave. Eventually, on the advice of one of the priests, she stole away and walked 200 miles to Canada, where she joined a Christian Indian village near Montreal. She dedicated her life to prayer and good works and dreamed of starting a religious community with two friends but since at the time there were no such communities she accepted that she was rather to live an “ordinary life” which for her involved constant prayer and fasting for the conversion of her nation.

When my family moved to upstate New York one of our day trips was to Auriesville where the stories came even more alive for me and after which I always kept Kateri close in my heart. In 2012, Catholics and Native Americans in New York State were blessed to have two women canonized as saints of the Church – one a religious Sister from Utica, NY – Mother Marianne Cope, often referred to as Mother Marianne of Molokai for her work as a missionary of her community in Hawaii working with the lepers (victims of Hansen’s disease) on the island of Molokai. She was also a great light in her native place as she was instrumental in founding two hospitals (in Utica and Syracuse, NY) and lived until 1918 so memories of her are alive in that community today. The other new saint is Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American recognized as a saint of the Church.

Today I plan to keep both of these women close in thought, grateful for strong women of faith who, as women “ahead of their times” contributed to the Christian story and heritage, women to look up to as examples of courage and willingness. I will also remember all our native brothers and sisters whose spirituality is so rich and from whom I have learned to reverence all creation.