Ignatius and our Blessed Mother
Hedwig Lewis SJ
Ignatius had deep devotion
to the Virgin Mary since childhood. There are several Marian shrines that serve
as milestones to his spiritual progress. The first “companions” made their vows
before the altar of Our Lady at Montmarte. Mary granted Ignatius his heart’s
desire: “to place him with her Son” at La Storta. The Society’s first
headquarters were attached to the chapel of Our Lady of the Way.
Ignatius considered Mary
his mediatrix and the intercessor for the Society. He introduced the “Triple
Colloquy” in the Exercises to obtain graces that are significant and
foundational. When Pope Marcellus II, a dear friend of his fell seriously ill,
Ignatius sent four Jesuit priests on foot to the shrine of Our Lady of Loretto
to pray for his recovery. Ignatius used a rosary formed by a series of beads
strung on a cord. When he died, his body was placed for public veneration
before the image of the Madonna della Strada.
Every Jesuit, like
Ignatius, has his own story of indebtedness to Mother Mary for his vocation and
for her intervention in the effectiveness of his ministry.
Further reading: Simon
Decloux, Our Lady in Ignatian Spirituality, CIS, XIX, 1988.
No comments:
Post a Comment