AMDG.
“Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam”
“To the Greater Glory of God.”
These four simple Latin words form the Jesuit motto. We frequently use AMDG at the beginning or end of a letter. AMDG is engraved on the vow ring my mom gave me twenty-three years ago. Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam explains everything about the Society of Jesus and its men when it is working at its best.
Ignatius of Loyola was a complex man. Born into minor Spanish nobility in 1491, he spent most of his youth learning to be a soldier and a member of the royal court. He was very vain and liked to wear flattering and form-fitting clothes. Though mostly uneducated, he could read and had very fine penmanship. When he was twenty-two the hot-headed Basque soldier was seriously 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 by the desire to do great things for God, to do all things AMDG for the Greater Glory of God. It is a fascinating story.
One example of his drive and determination was obvious when he prepared to enter the University of Paris in his mid-twenties. Because he had not had an adequate education he went back to the equivalent of junior high school to learn the Latin and Greek he needed to go study at University.
Ignatius was charismatic. Once at the University of Paris a group of men gathered around him to do the Spiritual Exercises that he worked out while in Manresa. Some of these men, including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, were among the original nine companions when the Society of Jesus was established in 1540.
He wrote an enormous number of letters, was involved in writing 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. However, it was the fruit of his prayer that changed world history in ways that can never be overestimated.
Despite the enormous demands of the rapidly growing Society, dealing with hostility from other orders and the occasional pope, 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. He only dictated his autobiography reluctantly in response to the demands of his men. It is very short. 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 Father Ignatius.
One of these is the prayer for Generosity.
The prayer 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."
St. Ignatius pray for us.
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The photos are from the Basilica of St. Ignatius in Loyola, Spain. Had the opportunity to present a paper at a conference there in the summer of 2019. A photographer's paradise.
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