Following Ignatius of Loyola
1. Ignatius in his time
Ignatius of Loyola was born Iñigo López de Loyola, in the manor house in the village of Loyola in the Basque Country of Spain in 1491. He was the 13th and last child of the local landowner, Beltran de Loyola.
When baby Iñigo was in his cot, Spain was united under the ‘Catholic Kings’ of Ferdinand and Isabela, who after defeating the Moors in Granada, ruled most of Spain. Columbus too had found the Americas, and a Spanish Pope had been elected in Rome. The large numbers of Moors and Jews in Spain had been given the ultimatum: convert to Christianity, or face exile or death.
Young Iñigo was brought up in a country full of self-confidence, excitement and cruelty.
Click below for the Lyrics of Iñigo song. To purchase 2 x CD set of all songs and story Click Here.
Lyrics
I’ll tell you how I reached behind the masks
I’ll tell you how I reached behind the masks
To find God’s image there.
I’ll sing you songs about the ways God helped me find his Son.
Down roads of rock; in rivers deep;
Through cities’ crowded streets,
In prisons dark; through caves as stark;
His Spirit led the way.
His air to breathe; his sun to see;
His likeness find, his image free
My story’s his; his story’s mine;
This story is our way.
A thought to ponder
Look back at the world that you were born into; how has the world of your childhood affected the way you see things and the way you act?
Scripture for the Day
As a way of praying today’s Scripture we suggest, Lectio Divina
Tobit 14: 6-7 NRSVACE
After this they all will return from their exile and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendour;
and in it the temple of God will be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it.
Then the nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in truth.
They will all abandon their idols, which deceitfully have led them into their error;
and in righteousness they will praise the eternal God.
Music for Today
New Life by Carey Landry
Purchase more of the music of Carey Landry
The house in Loyola where Iñigo was born in 1491.
The bottom half a stone fortress, the top half a Moorish style mansion house.
Photo: Ignatian Pilgrimage DWB