The "Story of a pilgrim," the famous autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola, is actually something more than a simple autobiography, dictated to Rome in the summer 1553 to the faithful collaborator Louis Gonçalves da Camara. It is a true "community of life" as many religious followers and lay the spirituality of the great saint prepend the beginning of the Exercises themselves. E '- if done in an honest and complete - a first and difficult step, because it requires a frank but close comparison with himself, with his own being in all its limitations, with its own history with that of reality which is lived. Always difficult, too, as evident from the story of Gonzales, for the now sixty-saint, who repeatedly delay the start of the "story". Difficult for the same dynamism and fluidity of the human being and especially of his spirit, always in flux and movement, and, just for this difficult to grasp. It 'a reality, however, made very light by many authors before and after, religious and laity of St. Augustine - my heart is restless until he finds rest in you - to Victor Hugo - Les Miserables - on Dostoyevsky Pirandello, Sartre, to name a few. All are united by the see the root of "evil" radical, blind demons, not to doubt themselves. Negative images are famous, among others, that of Goetz in "Le diable and le bon Dieu," the prince Stavrogin in "Demons", the inflexible judge of "Les Miserables". The beginning is difficult, because, as Sartre rightly observes, the 'I' it transcends every moment, and if it is true that the "me" instead is fixed forever, it is also true that the 'I' see it every time a new and different angle and a new and different perspective. It 'also highlights what Pirandello in "One, no one hundred thousand", and "The Late Mattia Pascal". Sant 'Ignazio was the confession of Gonzales to provide the fulcrum of "socket" for a start. His collaborator gl'aveva confessed his temptation to vainglory. A temptation that he had acted on the same strength even St. Ignatius, and where more acting, where less than in all of us. With honest humility the great saint begins the "story" from this limit his human "Until twenty-six years was a man dedicated to the vanities of the world. He loved to practice in the use of particular weapons, with a great, how vain desire to make a reputation. So, being in a fortress besieged by the French, while all were of the view to surrender, the sole condition that he would spare his life (because it was clear that we could no longer defend), he presented the master with many arguments, to convince him to resist yet, against the advice of the other knights, and these, with his courage and boldness, remained encouraged ... "Our So far may even blind us to the point that look like potential. Appears here an absolute necessity: the ability to position themselves well, to try to see each other from outside or from other points of view, from other perspectives. But this is not normally something that you think. Our was forced by a fortuitous fact: "The day was expected to attack the artillery, he confessed to one of his comrades in arms. The shelling lasted for some when a mortar hit him in the leg, breaking all, and since the bullet had hit the other two legs also remained shabby. " The road to recovery was difficult, complex and painful. "But the Lord gave him health. He came to be so good that he felt completely healed, he could not, however, rely entirely on the leg and was forced to stay in bed. Because he was very dedicated to reading books and false worldly, so-called chivalry, feeling well, asked him to bring to pass the time. But in that house if they have not found a single one of those who used to read. So they gave him a certain "Vita Christi" and a book in the vernacular, the lives of the saints. "It 's so gained a new perspective, new horizon, the foundation from which to turn their lives: ns. Lord Jesus Christ and his life. This is the 'Principle and Foundation "of" Spiritual Exercises ":" Man is created to praise, worship and serve God our Lord and thus save his own soul, and other things on earth are created for man to help him to achieve the purpose for which it was created. It follows that man must serve in the meantime to help him in his, and so must be removed because of being unable to have the same end. For this reason it is necessary to make us indifferent to all created things, in everything that is allowed the freedom of our free will and is not forbidden, so you do not want on our part that the disease more health, more wealth to poverty, more honor before dishonor, the more that the short life-span, and so forth, desiring and choosing only that which brings us to the purpose for which we were created. "This is the 'Archimedean point" from which to move. But how to move? How to proceed? "When I read them several times for a stretch won over by what was written. But when you stop reading, sometimes pause to think about the things he had read, while at other times to those of the first world that is usually kept in mind. (...) But there was this difference: When I think of those things world, he felt great pleasure, but if, tired, let it be, he found himself dry and dissatisfied, while going barefoot to Jerusalem, eating only herbs, practicing all the austerities, which he saw being done by the saints, not only comforted him when he stopped, but it was thought that, even after they have been abandoned, left him satisfied and happy. Then, however, did not mind, nor hesitated to assess the difference, until one day the eyes were opened a little, he began to wonder and think about the diversity, gaining experience as a result of some sad thoughts remained and, for others, happy. Gradually he managed to the diversity of the spirits who stirred: the one coming from the devil, and the other from God "found the Archimedean point and the basis on which to move, St. Ignatius does so with the same dedication and determination with which firm and resolute first proceeding in the things of the world. Leave everything, lives of poverty and charity, but, above all of prayer and contemplation, and so intense. Fighting also strongly than its own characteristics which until then had marked, such as the refinement in dress, elegance and the meticulous care of his person. It will end with the fall negl'eccessi opposites, but this will realize only after some time. He manages to accomplish its much-desired goal of visiting the holy land, pilgrimage continued with the single simplest and begging. Begins to follow, but that's also suspicious because it is under investigation. His attitude towards the 'inquisition is at first very available, one might almost say docile, but when you realize the emptiness of useless excuses for this and the vanity of things around which it moves, the absolute benefit is not in itself and his companions of the thing, with skill-ranking courtier who had been, thrown them away. That this proceeds in accordance with the criteria of the Archimedean principle and the discernment of spirits. Even in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola is an evident - as in that of all the great saints from ancient times to today - the dual presence of God on one side and the enemy on the other. The latter obviously studied very well and its our way forward and above the criteria for discernment of spirits, because - unlike with other saints, eg. San Pio da Pietrelcina, which showed him with monstrous appearance, and often fought physically - he showed himself masquerades as an angel of light "... it happened many times in broad daylight, to see something beside him in the air gave him great pleasure because it was beautiful, out of the ordinary. He could not distinguish that sort of thing it was, somehow seemed to have the form of a snake with eyes shining like many things, but they were not. Seeing this thing gave him great joy and consolation as often as he saw it, the greater the consolation, while, when he disappeared, he felt regret. "The devil, therefore, presents itself in a charming, dressed in light, and trying to mimic the peace and serenity of their own that is from God, to enter the criterion of discernment evinced. But, "During the days of that vision (which were many), or shortly before it began, thought hard upon him that bothers him. He was presented with difficulties in her life, as if someone were to say in the soul: "And how will you endure this life, the seventy years that you have to live?" But what, always inside, he replied with great force (feeling that came from the enemy ): "Wretch! Can you promise me one hour of life? "In this way he won the temptation and remained quiet." The vision, therefore, is always, or preceded or followed, however, accompanied by the penetration even into the depths of a deep concern. At the end of the deception will be revealed: "... he went to kneel before a cross from there to thank God, and there appeared to that vision, he had never understood a thing with many eyes, as stated above, it seemed very nice. But he saw clearly that, being in the presence of the cross, not her usual beautiful color: then became clear, and the will gave him strong confirmation that these were the devil. After that, many times and long, so he would appear, but he, as for contempt, wiped it off with a stick that usually wore. "Chased directly, the enemy will continue to pursue it in a subtle, hidden, always taking advantage of the specific characteristics of of our personality. St. Ignatius was trying so hard and long on what had always been a peculiarity: thoroughness. The temptation lasted for years and with power: it is, first, in the spiritual life, and in that case and charity, both in life and study. The thoroughness and embarrassed to come to paralyze almost all of her own in these functions, the ones he cared more. Even though this fight will end our winner, a former soldier, now soldier ns. Lord Jesus Christ. The victory will also be given here, and by continued in prayer - from which he will derive a greater clarity and light, about God, about himself and sugl'uomini and the world - and the application of principles borrowed mainly from the beginning and foundation: "Man is created to praise, worship and serve God our Lord and thus save his own soul, and other things on earth are created for the man to help him to achieve the purpose for which it was created . It follows that man must serve in the meantime to help him in his, and so must be removed because of being unable to have the same end. "Scruples therefore be closely followed to the extent that they are of benefit to its end Last: to serve God, and departed in so far as to prevent this. That is one of our "community of life" wonderful, exemplary interwoven into inseparably, the determination to find, follow and serve God in prayer and study, as well as in social life - "contemplatives in action" will be the Ignatian motto - and the search criteria and principles for this purpose , that is a real "metaphysics." The fight, always diligent, hard and tough it will be necessary also against the 'Inquisition, will be needed in the same area church to lead to the acceptance of the new method, its principles and criteria. But: "In the end, after several months, was the Pope in Rome. The pilgrim went to talk to him and introduced him to Frascati some reason, the Pope was convinced and ordered it to issue the ruling, which was favorable. "The life of St. Ignatius is therefore to identify with what has been implicit in all its radical worship, pray, do. Again: "Man is created to praise, worship and serve God our Lord and thus save his own soul, and other things on earth are created for the man to help him to achieve the purpose for which it was created. It follows that man must serve in the meantime to help him in his, and so must be removed because of being unable to have the same end. "
francesco Latteri Scholten.
francesco Latteri Scholten.
