St. Ignatius of Loyola-Society
The Reformation: Protestant and Catholic
>He was inspired by God to write Spiritual Exercises.
>A guide for spiritual perfection.
>Meant to help the believer learn to emulate Christ
Contributed to Books
>St. Ignatius read all the romantic books and books of chivalry he could find
>After that he read the remaining two books: One on the life of Christ and the other on the lives of saints
It is the second period of Ignatius’ life, in which he turned toward a saintly life, that is the better known. After treatment at Pamplona, he was transported to Loyola in June 1521. There his condition became so serious that for a time it was thought he would die. When out of danger, he chose to undergo painful surgery to correct blunders made when the bone was first set. The result was a convalescence of many weeks, during which he read a life of Christ and a book on the lives of the saints, the only reading matter the castle afforded. He also passed time in recalling tales of martial valour and in thinking of a great lady whom he admired. In the early stages of this enforced reading, his attention was centred on the saints. The version of the lives of the saints he was reading contained prologues to the various lives by a Cistercian monk who conceived the service of God as a holy chivalry. This view of life profoundly moved and attracted Ignatius. After much reflection, he resolved to imitate the holy austerities of the saints in order to do penance for his sins.