Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Feast of St Ignatius Loyola
Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 69; 1 Corinthians 10:31- 11:1; Luke 14:25-33
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Happy Feast Day! Let me begin on what might seem to be a slightly down note before sounding more upbeat. Ignatius Loyola gave us the great gift of his Spiritual Exercises. At the beginning of that small tome is what he calls the Principle and Foundation which states: ‘Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this to save their souls….Consequently, on our own part we ought not to seek health rather than sickness, wealth rather than poverty, honour rather than dishonour, a long life rather than a short one, and so on in all other matters.’ To be honest, this formulation never impacted on me very greatly. I was always ready to get on with the next exercise. I had reached the age of 70 without too many health issues, never having to take any tablets.
That all changed three years ago when, like many men my age, I had my prostate out. I then had to start a course of hormone therapy. For the first time the Principle and Foundation started to make some sense and to have some bite. With my cancer, I seem to have been blessed with a holy indifference seeking neither health nor sickness, though still preferring the former, and seeking neither a long life nor a short one, though preferring the former. I find that in diverse pastoral situations I have greater empathy for people now with health issues and I am even able to bring hope to those first diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Last week I had a PET scan and then waited a week for my specialist to report results and decide on future treatment options. Happily, I trust my doctor and he is very optimistic about my prospects. But as I went through that PET scan cylinder I contemplated Ignatius’s Principle and Foundation and prayed that I might trust God even more than I trust my doctor, regardless of the outcome of the scan. After a one week wait, and with some apprehension, I learnt that the scan result was good. Further treatment will be delayed at least another three months. We can all thank God that we live in 21st century Australia where such good medical services are available.
Ignatius urges all of us to develop this indifference to our own situation so that we might have the interior freedom to be available for the service of others. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Paul says: ‘So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ As we Jesuits say, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam – to the greater glory of God. That’s the call of all of us who find inspiration in the life and spirituality of Ignatius.
Paul goes on to say: ‘Don’t give offence to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do.’ In the Ignatian tradition we are all called to reach out to anybody and everybody regardless of their race, religion or views. We are here to help our fellow human beings practically and to encourage them in their struggles.
Paul then tells the Corinthians: ‘I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.’ Pope Francis, being a Jesuit, gave us great witness of going to the peripheries and frontiers. He was fond of telling us that ‘the Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.’ He wanted his priests to have the smell of the sheep. He saw the church as a field hospital. He encouraged everyone to build bridges not walls.
Ignatius was a great one for planning. He believed in action, and not just sitting around and pontificating. Ignatius took to heart the teaching of Jesus in today’s gospel from Matthew:
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.”
Mind you, planning has been a major challenge for us Jesuits in Australia with our rapid ageing and diminishment. But the blessing has been that our planning and action must now include all of you. Whatever of the past, there is no way that we Jesuits can do it on our own. We Jesuits are good at making a virtue out of necessity.
Jesuits throughout the world presently have four universal apostolic preferences:
- Showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and Discernment
- Walking with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice
- Accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future
- Collaborating, with gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God’s Creation.
On this feast of St Ignatius we invite you to join us. Like Jeremiah in today’s first reading:
The Lord’s word is in our hearts like a fire,
a fire shut up in our bones.
We are weary of holding it in;
indeed, we cannot.
When Pope Francis met with us Jesuits in General Congregation, he told us that the Church ‘needs us, relies on us and continues to turn to us with trust, particularly to reach those physical and spiritual places which others do not reach or have difficulty in reaching’.
Let’s pray Ignatius’s Suscipe:
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
Whether we be rich or poor, healthy or sick, long or short living, let’s surrender and reach out to each other with joy and hope on this feast of St Ignatius. Happy Feast Day.
Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO, Adjunct Professor of Thomas More Law School at ACU and Adjunct Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, is a former Rector of Newman College, University of Melbourne, and CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA). His latest books include Pope Francis: the Disruptive Pilgrims Guide (ATF Theology, 2025), and Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion: The Inspiration of Sir William Deane (Connor Court, 2026).
