Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Ignatius Saw His Soul Depart Out Of This Life, Surrounded With A Marvellous Splendour;

Monte Cassino
Ignatius, as soon as he had arrived in Rome, presented himself with his companions to the Pope; they were already known to him, and that in a favourable light. The Sovereign Pontiff agreed to their petition, and commanded Faber and Laynez to give provisionally public lectures, the first on Holy Scripture, and the second on Dogmatic Theology, at the Sapienza, which is the name of the University of Rome. Ignatius at the same time began to give the Spiritual Exercises publicly to the people, and to several persons in particular, amongst whom was Cardinal Contarini, uncle to Peter Contarini, accounted by Maffei one of the most learned men of the time. This illustrious Cardinal took Ignatius for the director of his conscience, and said that he had found in him the guide he had been long seeking for. The Procurator of the Emperor, Peter Ortiz, wished to make trial of the qualities that Contarini praised in the Saint. He retired to Monte Cassino, to go through the Exercises in the most complete solitude, and invited Ignatius to accompany him thither. The impression they made on this celebrated Doctor was so strong, that he would have entered into the Society of Ignatius if the latter had not dissuaded him from this step on account of his age and the important commission with which he was charged. 
It was during the time Ignatius was at Monte Cassino that he was apprized of the death of James Hozez, who had been the last to enter into the new Society, and was now the first struck down by death. He died at Padua, the victim of his zeal, death having found him on that field of battle which he had freely chosen as his portion. At the moment of his death Ignatius saw his soul depart out of this life, surrounded with a marvellous splendour; and another time while assisting at Mass, at the moment that the Priest said the words, Confiteor. . . et omnibus Sanctis, he again saw him in the company of many others. 
He was in this manner consoled for the loss he had sustained, and had, moreover, the happiness of soon replacing, by another disciple, the one whom God had taken away from him.
Link (here) to the Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola by Fr. Genelli, S.J.

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