Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola_2026

  

Feast of St. Ignatius

31 July 2026

 

AMDG.  Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam, To the Greater Glory of God. These four words comprise the Jesuit motto.  We frequently use AMDG at the beginning or end of a letter.  My vow ring is engraved with it. 

 

Ignatius of Loyola was a complex man.  Born in 1491or 1492, his youth was spent learning to be a soldier and a member of the royal court.  He admits to being very vain regarding his appearance in his younger years, preferring the 16^th century equivalent of skinny jeans so as to look good. Though mostly uneducated, he could read and had very fine penmanship.  At twenty-two years of age the hot-headed Basque was injured while leading his overmatched men in the Battle of Pamplona.  It was one of the most blessed injuries in the history of war. 

 

While convalescing in the castle of Loyola he was gradually drawn to the desire to follow in the footsteps of Christ, he discerned a call to do great things for the Greater Glory of God.  It is a fascinating story. 

 

Because he had not had an adequate education he went back to the equivalent of junior high school in his twenties to learn the Latin and Greek he needed to go to University.

 

Ignatius was charismatic.  A group of men gathered around him at university to do the Spiritual Exercises that he composed while in Manresa following his conversion.  Some of these men, including Sts. Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, were among the original nine companions when the Society of Jesus was established in 1540. 

 

Two days ago we heard the well known Gospel narrative of Martha and Mary.  Mary at prayer as she sat at Jesus' feet, Martha grumbling and whining as she did the work of preparing the meal.  In St. Ignatius we see a combination of Mary's contemplation of Jesus' word and Martha's busy-ness in response to demands of work without the complaining. 

 

The totality of Ignatius’ presence to Jesus word was like Mary’s.  Like Martha he had many distractions. He wrote 7000 letters, was composing the Jesuit Constitutions, missioning men throughout the world, and answering hundreds of questions as the Society grew.  At times he had to put his foot down.  All novices read his famous letter on obedience, a 4000 word missive that he wrote to young Jesuits in Portugal who were in a rebellious mood. But it was the fruit of his prayer that influenced world history in ways that can never be overestimated. 

 

Despite the enormous demands of the rapidly growing Society, establishing schools, dealing with hostility from other orders and the occasional pope, missioning men throughout the world, and writing the constitutions for the Society, he was disposed to hear and contemplate the word of God in the midst of and despite many distractions,

 

His health was not good.  Yet, he continued to pray and work without grumbling, always to the Greater Glory of God. Ignatius died in 1556, age 65.  He had been named the first general of the Society in 1541 and was still holding that office at the time of his death.  Jesuits pray a number of prayers written by Holy Father Ignatius. One of these is the Prayer for Generosity that outlines how to live AMDG.

 

"O Lord, teach me to be generous

To serve you as you deserve

To give and not to count the cost

To fight and not to heed the wounds

To toil and not to seek for rest

To labor and not to ask for reward

Save that of knowing I do your holy will."

 

 __________________________________________

 

 

 

The injured Ignatius at Pamplona.  The French were so impressed with his tenacity that they helped transport him back to the castle of Loyola.

Parts of the castle and the dome of the basilica.  Took this because of the trees.  Ya' don't see these in Northern New England

Sometimes I get distracted by something small, like a flower. 

Statue of Ignatius situated way above the main altar.  Could only get this with a 150 mm lens and standing almost directly below it. 

The castle and the dome of the basilica.  Loyola was a photo bonanza both in the basilica as well as the landsccape.  

 Happy Feast!

 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

 

Going to try this again

I don't know what the problem is with this web site The print doesn't show up normally. But am going to try yet again. This is the homily from this past Sunday. Will also give a shot at the photos. 

 

That was one serious find:  Homily for the 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12

Ps 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

Rom 8:28-30

Mt 13:44-52

 

We make most daily decisions, without much effort: do I cross now or wait until that car passes?  Orange or apple juice?  Take a nap or exercise?  Other choices however, require discernment and thought.  We have all made life changing choices and will do so in the future.  Among the most important of those choices is the choice for or against Jesus.

 

The first reading and gospel both involve life-changing choices. 

 

God asked Solomon what he desired.  He was young, nothing more than a kid.  Despite that he did not ask for things most of us would want: a long healthy life, riches, or a great car.  Solomon asked for understanding,  he asked for the wisdom to discern between good and evil, and the ability to be a good leader.   His request pleased God.  It was granted.  We can only pray that our national leaders--BOTH parties--desire the same as opposed to the ugly and uncivil power struggles characterizing life in the U S of A.  Imagine legislatures praying for the wisdom to be good leaders rather than legalizing human sacrifice on the altar of abortion rights, the killing of the sick and elderly, rather than worshipping power, and encouraging the perverse and bizarre.

 

Every choice we make involves a cost.  Sometimes we anticipate that cost while other times it comes as a surprise.  When we make a particular choice other options  are closed off.   Sure we can change our minds about orange vs. apple  juice, or even have both, but the most important choices close off the other possibilities.  Choosing to marry a particular person closes off the choices among all others. Choosing to enter religious life closes off the option to marry and have a family,

 

The three short gospel parables are about choices. While they are related each has a unique message.  Unlike their usual response the apostles replied 'yes'

when Jesus asked if they understood. Repetition seems to have had an effect. 

They finally got it,  just as we get it and begin to understand what Jesus is telling us the more we listen to His word.

 

The first two parables bring to mind an event that blew the art world and the  Society of Jesus out of the water in 1990 when Dublin's Leeson Street Jesuit Community sent a painting that had been hanging in the dining room for sixty years to be cleaned.  It was thought to be a copy of a long-missing Carravagio painting called "The Taking of Christ." 

 

But one of the art restorers noticed something.  It WAS the missing painting worth tens of millions of pounds.  It was both the treasure discovered accidentally in a field and the pearl of great price noticed by an expert. 

 

What about buried treasures?

 

At the time the gospel was written invasions were a regular threat.  One way to keep a treasure safe was to bury it in a field.  Of course before selling the field it was important to remember that and where it was buried. Today we hear stories of very valuable objects found at flea markets, in attics, and at estate sales.

Indeed, Antiques Road Show is premised on this gospel passage.  

 

When the man realized what he had found buried he went away happy, chose to sell everything he had, and purchased the field so as obtain the treasure.  When we realize the value of the Kingdom of Heaven, when we truly understand and commit ourselves to following Jesus, we too can go off happy, knowing that we have found the most valuable of treasures.  

 

The man’s discovery in the field was an accident.   Not so for the merchant. He was an expert on a quest to find pearls. He found an exceptional one  and realized, on the basis of his expertise and knowledge, that this was the real thing.

He had found the pearl for which he was searching.   He too chose to act and commit to a course of action so as to obtain it.

 

The merchant’s excitement mirrors that of the one who discovers Christ later in life or the one who, having been baptized rediscovers what he or she had given up during that spiritual chaos known as young adulthood.  As a result he returns

to active participation in the sacraments.   Both of these figures made irrevocable choices.  Neither could have repurchased what he had sold. Neither could ever go back to the time before the decision.

 

The final parable is a bit different.  All of us can identify with fishing though few have experienced fishing with a drag net.   A drag net picks up everything: 

fish, plant life, and all kinds of inanimate objects.  After the net is hauled ashore

the fishermen go through the contents, keep the good fish, discard those that are not good, and dispose of the garbage. This parable recalls last week's gospel

about the weeds and the wheat. When the field was harvested the weeds were thrown into the fire and the wheat bundled into barns.

 

Politics, good, and evil, virtue and sin, have coexisted since the beginning of time. That will never change.  Our dilemma is whether or not we choose to trust

in the promises of Christ as described by Paul, “We know that by turning everything to their good God cooperates with all those who love him,

with all those that he has called . . .”  

 

Accepting or refusing God’s grace is our free choice.  We can never be forced

to accept or cooperate with that grace.  However, all the other important choices in our lives depend on that decision. 

 

___________________________________________________________

 

 

The photos are all from sv. Višarje, a three-country pilgrimage site in Italy just across the borders of both Austria and Slovenia.  Extremely beautiful place where I spent ten days doing some work with kids learning ENglish.  I was the only native speaker.  It was photo heaven.  

 

 

 

 

Prophesy, Preach, and Proclaim: Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus sent His apostles on mission with power over unclean spirits and the mandate to ‘cure every disease and every illness.’ It is a powerful mandate that includes an important distinction. Giving the apostle the instruction to cure disease AND illness might strike some as redundant. However, the distinction is important to understanding the mission of the Church that heals illness but rarely cures disease. Disease and illness are not synonymous. Few physicians are able to cure disease. True, surgeons can remove a diseased organ and effect a cure. Internists are able to cure some diseases but more often we stabilize them. Think diabetes or high blood pressure. Psychiatrists? I’m still not sure after thirty five years. However, despite the limitations all have the mandate to heal illness. Disease is a biomedical affliction with identifiable pathological changes in an organ or organ system at some level. While a disease affects only the patient, illness is a sociocultural perspective that includes how the individual and others understand and experience certain disvalued and feared states caused by disease. Illness affects not only the individual but the family, the community, and at times all of society, in ever widening circles. The dichotomy is apparent in scripture when we consider leprosy. Leprosy as described in both Old and New Testaments never had anything to do with what is now known as Hansen’s disease. Leprosy was a catch-all term for visible scaly lesions including vitiligo, psoriasis, and blemishes. Jesus cured the disease of leprosy in those afflicted but more significantly He cured the illness and thus returned the sufferers to themselves and to society. There are many modern illustrations of the difference between disease and illness. AIDS as disease was first described in June 1981. By 1990 almost 101,000 Americans had died of the disease with 1/3 of those deaths reported in 1990. The toll of AIDS as illness, a toll exerted on family, friends, community, society, and the world of medicine, was, is, and will remain beyond accounting. Thanks to covid we had a refresher course on the difference between disease and illness. The disease, which affected only individuals, killed the elderly age 65 and above in disproportionate fashion. The illness was an even greater disaster. Many of those elderly, as well as patients hospitalized for other reasons were forced to suffer and die in anguished solitude. Many perceived abandonment by their families and friends who were prevented from visiting. And no, a computer is not a good substitute for someone dealing with cognitive impairment. They were bereft of the sacraments as well. The illnesses: loneliness, depression, anxiety, fear, and for many, cognitive decline came from a combination of government fiat, irrational fears of administrators, lack of compassion, and generalized stupidity on the part of too many who should have known better. The slogan, “Follow the science” was a dismissive cudgel used to beat others into submission regarding vaccination. Many lives were destroyed. As with AIDS the impact of the illnesses of covid can never be estimated, particularly when one factors in the disastrous impact of school closures. The disease has faded. The illness will echo for decades to come. How did the twelve apostles perceive Jesus’ mandate to cure disease and illness? How did they feel when it was given to them? How did they feel when the going got rough or when they realized the risks? Ideally they did not respond in the same way as a young physician who wrote an op-ed column in response to covid titled, “I Didn’t Sign Up For This,” an extended whine about having to work under the conditions and risks of covid. It might be best for this young doc to hang up the stethoscope now and seek a different line of work. Apparently he or she likes the title but not the obligations that come with it. Mandate derives from the Latin mandatum: manus (hand) and dare (to put) thus ‘to put into one’s hands.’ The foot washing of Holy Thursday is referred to as the mandatum, from Jesus’ words at the Last Supper “I have given you an example, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” The histories of AIDS and covid as diseases AND illnesses have a shameful element in common. That shame was, and is, the refusal of too many with training and ability to treat patients because of the diagnosis. The stories of refusing to allow patients with AIDS to even enter a medical office were many during the early years. During covid, Arthur Caplan, a so-called medical ethicist in New York published a column on Medscape titled, “It’s Okay for Docs to Refuse to Treat Unvaccinated Patients.” The good news is that Caplan is not physician. He cannot treat patients. The over 700 responses to his column from physicians were overwhelmingly negative, angry, or both. It is never OK to cherry pick who or what is treated based on diagnosis or social agenda. I suspect had Dr. Caplan written that it was OK to refuse puberty blockers for so-called transexual children he would have been fired right quick. It is not easy to treat disease. Sometimes the best we can do is keep it at bay for a little while. “A cure for cancer in our lifetime.”? Nothing more than a moronic bumper sticker reflecting no knowledge of the thousands if disease that fall under the umbrella term cancer. Treating the illnesses of modern times is even more difficult. That is a separate homily. We have all been given the same mandate as that given to the apostles. That is to treat illnesses and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven through our words and the example of our lives. _____________________________________ Will try to post photos next week. This is truly a miserable web site.

New try

Am going to try to restart this blog as I cannot understand the procedures for some of the others.

NEW BLOG, NEW SITE

I moved the blog from this site to frjacksjmd.net. It will take some getting used to but this site has become undependable. Will continue to post regularly on the blog and on faceback.

This will be the last post on this blog. The site is functioning poorly, printing submissions in a bizarre font. Service has seriously deteriorated since I began it fifteen years ago while in Australia on tertianship. There are a lot of words I could use to describe what blogspot has become but I would have to go to confession. While I may or may not try to resume a different blog, I continue to publish homilies and photos on facebook (johsiberski). I do not tolerate computer driven frustrations well. So screw you google.

Solemnity of the Annunciation

25 March 2026 Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ, Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, And she conceived of the Holy Spirit” So begins the Angelus, a prayer consisting of four short verses, each verse followed by a Hail Mary. It is recited thrice daily, generally at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM. It commemorates our Lord’s incarnation, recalls Mary’s fiat, and contributes to making the day holy. The Annunciation is a quiet solemnity. There was no visible sign: no star, no eclipse, and no earthquake. There was no voice from the heavens. Simply a quiet scene that took place in a small room in an obscure village in the Middle East. But, the Universe held its breath as it unfolded. An angel was carrying news to a young woman named Mary. How would she reply? Is this the time? Mary was startled when she heard the angel’s message. Nothing stirred outside that small room. The universe became silent when it heard the angel's greeting, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee." Clasping its hands over its heart, the world waited anxiously. St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: “The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady. . . .The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. . . .” The woman appeared puzzled and concerned, as if she were asking herself what the angel’s greeting meant. The look on her face was changing. Wait . . . . and then: "Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum." "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, May it be done unto me according to your word." In a sigh of relief the universe changed. It would never be the same. A new calm descended. The prophecy would be fulfilled. Mary’s words penetrated the very substance of all that is. Those words would echo forever. The most perfect yes in history had just been enunciated. The universe and all within it rejoiced. The virgin had accepted her vocation to be the Theotokos, the God-bearer, in fulfillment of the prophecy to Ahaz. Like us, Mary was endowed with free will. She could have rejected the vocation the angel presented to her. On the surface it seems irreverent to suggest that Mary could have refused. Her decision, however, was not inevitable. It was not forced by God. She was chosen. But she was free to choose. Fiat mihi secundum tuum was her yes. In the third verse of the angelus we pray: Et Verbum caro factum est. Et habitavit in nobis “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Angels rejoiced. Heaven celebrated. Mary's life would change. Joseph would soon receive her into his house. They would soon make the arduous journey to Bethlehem where Jesus would be born of the House of David,once again in fulfillment of a prophecy. The annunciation almost always occurs during lent. During lent the Eastern Church chants a hymn to the Theotokos, Mary, the God-bearer, whose reply to the angel enabled the universe to rejoice. It includes the verse: "Receive, O earth, the glad tidings of great joy. Heavens, praise the glory of God. The Theotokos, the God-bearer, the living tabernacle of God shall not be touched by an unclean hand. The lips of believers shall sing to her ceaselessly with the voices of angels crying joyfully, Hail full of grace, The Lord is with Thee." Thus, we celebrate today.