Chapter 2

CAPUT SECUNDUM CHAPTER II DE NOVA VITAE RATIONE A P. IGNATIO INSTITUTA ON THE NEW WAY OF LIFE INSTITUTED BY FATHER IGNATIUS Jam inde ab eo tempore, quo in curatione corporis Ignatius. Nam cum utriusque cruris dolores mitigati quidem essent, et tamen plena curatio in tempus longum extraheretur, ut tempus lectione falleret, libros aliquos legendos postulavit; et cimi de vita Christi et sanctorum duo libri, hispanico sermone scripti, fuissent ei oblati, eorum quae legebat occasione, variae cogitationes a bono et malo spiritu immissae, ejus mentem subire coeperunt; et aliquando inspirationes validas ut se totum divino servitio manciparet, et ea quae legerat imitaretur, in se sentiebat; interdum vanae et ad mundi gloriam et magnitudinem tendentes suggestiones illis succedebant. Ut enim erat animo magno, in utravis parte semper ad magna propendebat ; nec ullum poenitentiae genus a sanctis susceptum legerat, quod ipse imitari se posse diffideret; et tunc ut tyro , in spirituali militia rudis, hujusmodi poenitentias ac asperitatem propter Deum susceptam, praecipuam sanctitatem esse existimabat ; et cum in rebus spiritualibus se parum admodum in anteacta vita exercuisset, tam a mundanis quam a bonis cogitationibus in hoc initio se agitari sinebat ; sed paulatim observare coepit principia et exitus hujusmodi cogitationum ; et animadvertebat cogitationes a bono spiritu immissas, et ad Dei obsequium tendentes, praeterquam quod bonae essent, mentem ipsius quadam refectione et consolatione quasi solido cibo replere ; mundanas contra, licet jucundae viderentur dum animo pertractabantur, ut vanae erant, ita vacuam et sine satisfactione sui animam suam relinquere. Sed die quodam ejus animus multo plenius a Deo illustratus, clare discernere bonum a malo spiritu, et utriusque effectus coepit; deinde successu temporis et experimentis rerum spiritualium edoctus, regulas illas de discernendis spiritibus, de quibus in libro exercitiorum spiritualium agitur, adnotavit. Now during the time when Ignatius was taking care of the cure of his body, the heavenly physician began to cure his soul. For, when the pains in both legs began to lessen significantly, but his complete cure would take a long time, in order to pass his time in reading, he asked for some books to read. And when two books in Spanish on the life of Christ and the saints were given to him, as a result of what he read various thoughts coming from a good and bad spirit began to occupy his mind. At times he felt strong inspirations that he should dedicate himself to the service of God and to imitate the things he was reading about; then sometime vain suggestions concerning the glory and greatness of the world would follow those holy thoughts. For, since he was a man with a great heart, in both cases he thought about doing great things. And he read about no kind of penance undertaken by the saints, which he doubted he could imitate. And then as a beginner and as one unskilled in spiritual warfare he thought that penances of this kind and austerity embrace for the sake of God was the nature of holiness; and since in spiritual things he had little experience in his former life, in this beginning state he allowed himself to be moved both by worldly and by good thoughts. Gradually, however, he began to observe the beginning and the end of these thoughts. And he noticed that the thoughts inspired by the good spirit and tending towards the service of God, besides the fact that they were good thoughts, they also filled his mind with a certain refreshment and consolation, being something like solid food. On the other hand, he noted that the worldly thoughts, although they seemed pleasant when he was occupied with them, because they were vain, afterwards they left his soul empty and without satisfaction. But one day, when his mind was more fully enlightened by God, he began to distinguish clearly between the good and the bad spirit, and the effects of both. Then in the course of time and being taught by the experiences of spiritual things, he wrote down the rules for the discernment of spirits, which are now found in the book of the Spiritual Exercises. Tunc autem de vitae mutatione facienda, et se toto Dei servitiis mancipando, apud se fixe proposuit (quamvis nulli hominum id aperuit) et de profectione Hierosolymitana ac prius de carnis suae castigatione, et honoris abnegatione, omnique prorsus abjectione et asperitate non solum cogitavit, sed apud se etiam id facere omnino statuit. Deo enim placere magnopere cupienti, haec media propter ipsius amorem suscipienda, meliora non experto, occurrebant. Nec parum in bono proposito fuit confirmatus ex visione B. Virginis, quam noctu (vigilans tamen) cum puero Jesu videre sibi visus erat; ex qua hic effectus consecutus est, ut postea omnia illi saecularia in fastidium versa fuerint, et ardens castitatis desiderium inde conceperit, quam B. Virgine mediatrice sic observavit, ut quamdiu vixit, corpus mentemque ab omni carnis impuritate immunem custodierit. However, then concerning a change of life and dedicating himself totally to the service of God, in his own mind he made a firm proposal (although he did not make it know to anyone), and he not only thought about traveling to Jerusalem, but first he thought about the chastisement of his body, and the rejection of all honor and embracing an abject and harsh way of life, but in his own mind he determined absolutely to do it. For since he greatly desired to please God, it occurred to him to adopt these means because of his love; at that time he did not know about anything better. He was not a little confirmed in his good intention by a vision of the Blessed Virgin, whom during the night (while he was praying) it seemed to him that he saw with the child Jesus. The result of this experience was that afterwards all worldly things caused a loathing in him, and so he conceived an ardent desire for the virtue of chastity which, with the help of the Blessed Virgin he observed in such a way that, as long as he lived, he kept his body and mind free from all impurity of the flesh. Reparatis utcumque viribus, domum ac patriam relinquendam sibi existimans, ad monasterium B. Virginis Montis Serrati in primis ire decrevit. Aderat in domo Loyolae frater ejus natu major, Martinus Garcia, praedictae domus ac familiae caput (nam pater Beltramus jam pridem obierat), qui, ex mutata colloquiorum ratione et occupationum in legendis ac scribendis rebus piis, ejus animi mutationem subolfaciens, seorsum Ignatium compellans, commonere eum coepit, ut videret quomodo se gereret, et generi suo et summae omnium expectationi de ipso conceptae satisfaceret, et quem tenere coeperat vitae cursum, ad gloriam et omnia magna consequenda accommodum, sequeretur; sed Ignatius, ab eo se expedire volens, memorem se fore omnium, quae oportebat, dicens, et ad Ducem Nagerae se pergere simulans, domo profectus est, et statim duos famulos, qui eum comitabantur, domum remittens, ac solus versus Montem Serratum pergens, singulis noctibus se flagellis acriter caedere etiam in via incoepit. Cum enim liberam admodum vitam juvenis egisset, poenitentiam sibi agendam esse, et quidem primo quoque tempore inchoandam existimabat; ejus tamen intentio potius ad Dei honorem quam ad evitandam suis peccatis debitam poenan semper tendebat; mente autem in itinere ea pertractans quae ad profectum in spirituali vita, quam instituebat, facerent, cum gravissimum periculum sibi imminere partim a carnis illecebris, partim ab honoris et gloriae desiderio, videret, ut qui saepius ab his hostibus se vulneratum meminerat, contra hos duos adversarios sibi arma sumenda intelligens, contra priorem votum castitatis perpetuae in hoc ipso itinere emisit, et cum vir esset sine litteris et alioquin peculiarem affectum erga Dei Matrem gereret, eidem Beatae Virgini votum praedictum obtulit ; et ejus simplicem ac bonam intentionem Deus per eamdem B. Virginem admisisse visus est, et per eamdem, non utcumque, sed modo altissimo, hoc castitatis donum ei perpetuo, ut diximus, conservavit. When he had completely recovered his strength, he decided to leave his home and fatherland and first of all to go to the monastery of the Blessed Virgin at Montserrat. His older brother lived in the home of Loyola, Martin Garcia, the head of the house and family (for his father Beltran had already died). From the changed nature of their conversations and Ignatius’s occupation in reading and writing pious matters, he perceived that Ignatius had a change of heart. So taking him aside he began to warn him to be careful in how he acted, and that he should show favor to his family and to the great expectations that all had in his regard. He said that Ignatius should follow course of life he had already adopted which was directed to glory and was suitable for obtaining all great things. Ignatius, however, wanting to get away from him, said that he remembered all the things he should do. So giving the impression that he was going to see the duke of Najera he left the house, and immediately he dismissed the two servants accompanying him and sent them home. Then being alone he set out for Montserrat, and each night on the way he began to beat himself severely with a scourge. For since he had lived a very profligate life as a youth, he thought that he must do penance for it and that he should do so immediately; but his intention always was to give honor to God rather than to escape the punishment due to his sins. However, while on his journey he was mentally considering the things that would contribute to progress in the spiritual life, which he had decided to embrace, when he realized that a grave danger threatened him partly from the allurements of the flesh, partly from the desire for honor and glory, since he knew he had often been injured by these enemies, understanding that he must take up arms against these two adversaries, on this very journey he pronounced a vow of chastity against the former, and since he was a man without learning but in other respects had a special devotion for the Mother of God, he offered the vow to the same Blessed Virgin. And through the same Blessed Virgin God was seen to have accepted his simple and good intention; and through her help, not in just any way but in a very lofty way, he preserved this gift of chastity perpetually, as we have said. Ut autem videatur quantum sit Dei beneficium in via Dei magistrum et instructorem habere, referam quod novo adhuc et rudi tyroni accidit, cujus tamen bonae voluntati Deus adfuit. Cum solus versum Montem Serratum iter faceret, Saracenum quemdam (neque enim eo tempore ex Regno Valentiae exire adhuc omnino jussi fuerant) invenit, qui se ipsi comitem adjunxerat, cum quo de B. Virginis Mariae virginitate loquebatur, sed ille ante partum fuisse virginem admittebat, post partum negabat; cum autem Ignatius quibus rationibus poterat persuadere conaretur, Saracenus, in sua sententia perseverans, Ignatio a tergo relicto, propere ad vicinum quoddam oppidum pergebat; tunc Ignatius, qui militari adhuc spiritu (qui familiaris ipsi tamdiu fuerat), res etiam spirituales considerabat, honori B. Virginis Mariae se non satisfacere suspicabatur, si injuriam illam, a Saraceno ejus immaculatae virginitati factam, inultam reliquisset; alia ex parte rationi consona dubitatio animum subibat, quod servos Dei non conveniret armis ai eum modum Dei aut B. Virginis injurias ulcisci ; anxius ergo valde et quodammodo perplexus, quod magis B. Virgini honorificum esset ac Deo magis gratum facere cupiens, nec satis utrum ex duobus dictis magis conveniret discernens, hanc rationem inivit, ut cum in quoddam bivium, quod vicinum erat, pervenisset, cujus alteram viam saracenus ingressus erat, altera versus Montem Serratum tendebat, permitteret suum equum sine directione habenarum quo vellet tendere ; et si viam illam tenuisset quam Saracenus, eum sibi pugione confodiendum putabat in ultionem blasphemiae ; si vero aliam viam tenuisset, signum sibi fore, quod Deo non placeret talis ultio ; cum tamen ad bivium perventum est, equus viam ad Montem Serratum tenuit, et ita ille hujusmodi militares ultiones Deo non placere intellexit. However, that it may be seen what a great benefit of God it is to have a teacher and instructor in the way of God, I will recount here what happened to this new and still uncultivated beginner, although God was near to him because of his good will. When he was traveling alone to Montserrat, he came upon a Muslim (for at that time they had not yet been completely expelled from the kingdom of Valentia), who joined him as a companion. He spoke to him about the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; he admitted that she was a virgin before the birth, but not after the birth; but when Ignatius tried to persuade him with various reasons, the Muslim, persevering in his opinion, went on ahead of Ignatius and in haste headed for a nearby town. Then Ignatius, who still considered spiritual things with a military attitude (something he was very familiar with), felt that he did not show sufficient honor to the Bl. Virgin Mary, if he left unavenged the injury done by the Muslim to her immaculate virginity. On the other hand, a doubt entered his mind that it was not fitting for the servants of God to avenge with arms in this way injuries done to God or the Bl. Virgin. Therefore, being very upset and in a certain way perplexed concerning what would be more for the honor of the Bl. Virgin and wanting to be more pleasing to God, and not know which of the two option was more fitting, he made this decision: when he came to the fork in the road, which was nearby, where the Muslim had taken one road to the town, and the other led to Montserrat, he would allow the horse to take whichever road he chose, without being directed by the reins. And if he took the same road as the Muslim, he decided to stab him with his dagger in revenge for his blasphemy; but if the horse took the other road, he thought that this would be a sign that such revenge was not pleasing to God. So when he came to the fork in the road, the horse took the road to Montserrat, and so he understood that military punishments of this kind were not pleasing to God. Paulo antequam ad sacrum illud monasterium pervenisset, habitum quo uti constituerat, paratum habebat, saccum videlicet ex aspera et crassa tela, cum calceis quibusdam ex sparto confectis, et cordam qua pro cingulo uteretur, cum cucurbita ad aquam deferendam; equum igitur ac pecunias quas ferebat, pauperibus distribuens, confessionem generalem totius vitae diligenter et in scriptis per triduum cuidam ejus domus viro religioso fecit, et cum eo de vitae ratione, quam tenere instituerat, contulit. Quo peracto, et sanctissimo Eucharistiae Sacramento munitus, ut vestes quas sibi paraverat indueret, et se totum novae militiae Christi dedicaret, pauperem quemdam secreto quaesivit, et omnes suas vestes exuens, eas illi dedit: ipse autem omnium loco saccum praedictum induit, et corda se praecinxit, et ex calceis alterum tantum pede dextro, quia, ob os confractum, adhuc noctu ei intumescere solebat, retinuit; alterum autem rejecit; in capite nihil sibi portandum duxit; et quia in libris profanis, potius quam in sacris versatus, legerat eos, qui equites armandi erant, nocte praecedenti armatos vigilare in templo solitos esse, antequam nobili equestrium militiae adscript essent; eos sibi imitandos censens, nocte illa proxima vigilandum sibi cum his novis armis in templo B. Virginis existimavit; et ita partim stando, partim genibus flexis, totam cam noctem in templo pervigil in orationibus exegit; gladium suum et pugionem in eodem templo B. Virginis appendendum curavit, et ita novus Christi miles, novis cum armis, non jam terreno, sed coelesti regi in posterum servire coepit, anno Domini 1521 ad finem decurrente . Et observatum est eo anno, quo Martinus Lutherus, Vormatiam a Carolo V advocatus ut sui rationem redderet, clare et publice contra Sedem Apostolicam Romanam et Concilia universalia suum venenum evomere coepit (nam antea submittere se velle Romano Pontifici suam doctrinam dicebat), eodem Ignatius Dei se servitio mancipavit, cujus opera et aliorum de ipsius Societate antidotum egregium contra illud praepararetur, quorumque peculiaris erga summum Pontificem et Sedem Apostolicam obedientia, quam et ipsi praestarent, et ab aliis praestari curarent, descissionem et inobedientiam hujusmodi desertorum resarciret. Shortly before he arrived at that holy monastery, he prepared the clothes he had decided to wear, namely, sackcloth made out of harsh material, along with shoes made out of rope, and a cord which he used as a belt, along with a container for carrying water. Therefore, after giving his horse and the money he had to the poor, he made a general confession diligently of his whole life, and he did it in writing over a period of three days to one of the priests of the monastery, and he conferred with him about the way of life which he had decided to follow. After doing that, and being fortified by the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, in order to put on the clothes he had prepared for himself and to dedicated himself totally to the army of Christ, secretly he sought out a poor man, and taking off all his clothes he gave them to him. Then in place of them he put on the already mentioned sackcloth, tied the cord around his waist, and of the shoes he kept one only for the right foot because, on account of the broken bone, it still usually swelled up during the night; the other shoe he discarded. He decided to put nothing on his head. And because he was more familiar with profane books than he was with pious books, he had read that those, who were about to become knights, were accustomed to spend the night before that in prayer in a church, before they were admitted to the noble order of knights, thinking that he should imitate them, he thought that he should spend the night before his big move in a vigil with his new arms in the chapel of the Bl. Virgin. Therefore, sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling, he spent the whole night in the chapel always watchful and praying. And in the same chapel of the Bl. Virgin he hung up his sword and dagger, and so this new soldier of Christ, with new weapons, began for the future to serve no longer an earthly, but a heavenly King, and this took place towards the end of 1521. [1. Vide Acta quaedam P. N. Ignatii de Loyola, primarii secundum Deum institutoris Societatis Jesu, a Ludovico Consalvo ex ejusdem ore Sancti excepta. Parisis, 1873, n. 18.
See: Acta quaedam P. N. Ignatii de Loyola, primarii secundum Deum institutoris Societatis Jesu, by Louis Consalvo, and transcribed from the mouth of the same Saint, Paris, 1873, n. 18.] And it is to be noted that in that year Martin Luther, having been summoned by Charles V to Vormatia to give an account of himself, clearly and publicly began to spew forth his vomit against the Apostolic Roman See and the general Councils (for beforehand he said he was willing to submit his teaching to the Roman Pontiff), and in the same year Ignatius dedicated himself to the service of God. His works and those of other members of same Society prepared an excellent antidote against that teaching, and their special obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff and the Apostolic See, which they offered and sought to be offered by others, did much to repair the revolt and disobedience of those who rebelled against the Church. Sed ad Ignatium redeundo, aliquandiu ille aliis vestibus quam praedicto sacco non est usus; sed ne in sancta ea domo (ad quam religionis causa ex tota Hispania concurritur) a quoquam cognosceretur, inde discedens, Manresam tribus vel quatuor leucis a Monte Serrato distantem se contulit; et ut ex mendicato vivere constituerat, ita et coepit, pane tantum et aqua contentus, et a carnibus et vino prorsus abstinens. Non omittam id tamen, quod pauper ille cui vestes donaverat, cum in suspicionem venisset quod furto eas alicunde sustulerat, a justitiae administratore (alguncil in Hispania, nomine ab arabibus desumpto, vocatur) captus fuit, et periculum erat ne aliqua poena et simul nota infamiae afficeretur ; cum autem ille diceret se in eleemosynam vestes accepisse a viro quodam, qui inde paulo ante recesserat, praedictus minister Ignatium consecutus est, et ex signis a paupere acceptis, eum agnoscens, interrogavit num vestes illas pauperi dedisset; intelligens autem Ignatius suo beneficio Christi pauperem in talem suspicionem et discrimen adductum fuisse, testatus est se vestes illi dedisse, et com- patiens ejus incommodo, lacrymas primas, postquam ex patria recesserat, profudit: percontanti autem ministro praedicto de nomine, patria, et aliis hujusmodi rebus, hoc necessarium non esse ad pauperis sublevationem dicens, nihil ei ad has interrogationes respondit. But let us return to Ignatius. For a long time he did not wear any other clothes but the above-mentioned sackcloth; but so that he would not be recognized by anyone in that holy monastery (to which out of devotion people came from all parts of Spain), he departed from there and went to Manresa, which is not far from Montserrat. And since he had decided to live by begging, so he began, being content with bread and water only, to abstain completely from meat and wine. However, I will not pass over the fact that the poor man to whom he had given his clothes, when he came under suspicion that he had stolen them from somewhere, he was arrested by the administrator of justice (he is called alguacil in Spanish, a word borrowed from the Arabs), and there was a danger that he would suffer some punishment and infamy. But when he said that he had received the clothes as an alms for a certain man, who had departed a little time before, the administrator went looking for Ignatius. And recognizing him from the description given by the poor man, he asked him whether he had given those clothes to the poor man. But Ignatius, seeing that by his gift the poor man had come under such suspicion and danger, testified that he had given the clothes to the man, and feeling compassion for his misfortune he shed abundant tears for him after he had left his fatherland. But when the administrator asked him about his name, nationality and similar things, he said that these things were not necessary to help the plight of the poor man, so he did not give any answer to these questions. Manresam ergo pergens, ad pauperum hospitale se contulit, et aliis pauperculis sese adjunxit, victu praedicto panis mendicati et aquae contentus, humi cubitans, et ter singulis diebus acerba flagellatione corpus castigans, nec ipsi recreationem ullam indulgens; et ita cum in ea vitae ratione aliquandiu pergeret, ejus corpus, quod optimae habitudinis et viribus validum fuerat, brevi tempore emarcuit et valde debilitatum est. Cavebat etiam diligenter ne ejus cognomen, aut signum ullum nobilitatis in ipso cognosceretur ; caesariem (cujus erat eo tempore frequens usus, et de qua plus aequo fuerat aliquando ipse sollicitus) impexam, et ungues manuum crescere sinebat, ac demum nimium studium ornatus et honoris pristini, praesenti neglectu et abjectione sui compensabat. Orationi vocali septem horas genibus flexis quotidie dabat, nec enim mentalem ad id usque tempus expertus fuerat; Missae et vespertino officio ac completorio cum magna sui spiritus satisfactione intererat; et ita quatuor menses postvestium mutationem in oppido Manresae praedicto parum admodum de interioribus animi consolationibus adhuc consecutus, sed tantum cum conscientiae puritate contentus et alacris in asperitate praedicta et abjectione perseverabat; a Deo tamen in pura et recta intentione et in constantia et animi fortitudine donum peculiare etiam tunc obtinuerat. Therefore when he arrived at Manresa, he went to a home for the poor and joined the other poor people. Being content with the bread he begged and water, and sleeping on the ground, he punished his body three times daily with a severe scourging. He did not give himself any recreations, and after living that way for a long time his body, which had been very strong and healthy, began to wither away and to become very weak. Also he was very careful to see that his name was not known or that any sign of nobility should be known about him. He allowed his hair to remain uncombed (at the time care of the hair was common and formerly he had been very fastidious about that) and his fingernails to grow, so that now by his neglect of such things he was making compensation for his former excessive concern about his appearance and honor. Daily he spent seven hours on his knees saying vocal prayers, and up until that time he had no experience of mental prayer. He was present for Mass, Vespers and Compline with great satisfaction of his spirit. And so for four months after changing his clothes he achieved still very little with regard to interior consolations of the mind, but being content and cheerful only with his purity of intention, he persevered in his harsh way of life and abjection. But then in his pure and right intention and in his constancy and fortitude of mind he obtained from God a special gift. Semel tantum postquam vestes suas mutaverat, tentationem quamdam animum subeuntem sensit, quae suggerebat: nonne melius tuis vestibus indutus, prout tuum gradum decebat, nunc induereris (sic) et cum aliis quam cum his pauperculis versareris? Sed ille hujusmodi spiritum facile discernens et bonum non esse agnoscens, aliis pauperibus se conjunxit et cum eis loqui coepit; nec amplius tentatio hujusmodi ad eum accessit. Sed alia ratione Satanas eum aggressus est. Cum enim se videret debilem ac defatigatum et corpore afflictum, talis eum subiit cogitatio: “O miser Ignati! quinquaginta anni in hac afflictione tibi supersunt exigendi. „ Sed agnoscens ille daemonis tentationem: “Poterisne tu, inquit, chirographum dare quod vel unum diem integrum sim victurus? „ His ergo duobus et levibus tentatiunculis pulsatus circa constantiam, cum omnino inconcussum mentis suae propositum retineret, nullam amplius de relinquenda vocatione tentationem, quae alieujus esset momenti, sensit; nec cum manum aratro admovisset, retro unquam aspexit. Erat autem jejunio tam deditus, ut praeter diem Dominicum, tota hebdomada jejunaret. Et ita primos quatuor menses, ut diximus, expendit. Only once after he changed his clothes did he experience a very strong temptation, which made this suggestion to him: Would it not be better, wearing your own clothes, which are suitable for your state of life, now to put them on (sic) and to associate with others rather than with these poor little people? But easily discerning this spirit and seeing that it was not good, he joined some other poor people and he began to speak with them; afterwards a temptation of this sort did not bother him. But then Satan attacked him in a different way. For when he saw that he was weak and tired and suffering bodily, the following thought came to him: “O miserable Ignatius! Fifty years are remaining for you to suffer these afflictions.” But recognizing that this was a temptation of the devil, he said: “Can you give me your assurance that I am going to live for even one more day?” Therefore, when these two light temptations had been overcome by his constancy, and when the determination of his mind remained totally unshaken, no further temptation about abandoning his vocation, which was of any significance, bothered him. So when he put his hand to the plow, he never looked back again. But he was so dedicated to fasting that, with the exception of Sunday, he fasted every day of the week. And so this is how he spent the first four months, as we have said.