Happy Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola! This striking statue stands in his bedroom in the family home at Loyola. His room is now called the "chapel of his conversion" because, through spiritual reading here, he converted to a holier life.

St. Ignatius, as many of you know, was a brave and illustrious soldier until he was severely wounded in a battle. He returned to his family home in Loyola, Spain, to recover. See it here:

"As Ignatius had a love for fiction, when he found himself out of danger he asked for some romances to pass away the time. In that house there was no book of the kind. They gave him, instead, 'The Life of Christ', by Rudolph, the Carthusian, and another book called the 'Flowers of the Saints', both in Spanish. By frequent reading of these books he began to get some love for spiritual things. This reading led his mind to meditate on holy things, yet sometimes it wandered to thoughts which he had been accustomed to dwell upon before...but...in the meantime the Divine Mercy was at work substituting for these thoughts others suggested by his recent readings. While perusing the life of Our Lord and the saints, he began to reflect, saying to himself: 'What if I should do what St. Francis did?' 'What if I should act like St. Dominic?'"

~ from the Autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola, dictated in third person, 

finished in December, 1555.

(St. Teresa of Avila statue in the Cathedral of Avila)

St. Teresa offers us encouragement, in the middle of our busy days, that we can still communicate easily with Our Lord:

"In the midst of our occupations, we ought to withdraw into the interior of our souls, even though it be but for an instant, by reminding ourselves of Him who keeps us company. This practice is extremely profitable. In brief, we ought to accustom ourselves to appreciate this truth, that it is not necessary to speak aloud to Him, because His Majesty will make us feel His presence within us. In this way, we shall be able to recite our vocal prayers not only in peace, but without weariness as well."

~ St. Teresa of Avila

(Birthplace of St. Teresa, at Avila)

(Depiction of the marriage of Saints Anne and Joachim, in Burgos Cathedral, Spain)

Happy Feast of St. Anne, mother of the Mother of our Savior!

"A lady from California came to spend a few days with Good Saint Anne [at the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre]. She came to implore light and courage. She craved interior peace especially. On returning home, she wrote to the Shrine: 'That peace which I sought vainly has at last returned. I see myself clearly now. I know where to direct my efforts. I realized at St. Anne's that my life must be gift, devoted to the happiness of others. I am now the happiest person in the world!...Smiling is once more easy for me. Singing, too. For I sense the presence of St. Anne. At Beaupre, what I sought most from the dear Saint was to be consumed by the love of God. I know that this prayer must have been heard. I am trying to supernaturalize everything I do....I thank the Good God for all that He has done for me...May Good Saint Anne keep me always in the friendship of my God!'"

~ Eugene Lefebvre, CSSR, A Land of Miracles for Three Hundred Years,1958.

This excerpt, taken from a book about the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre, in Quebec, Canada, shows how people make pilgrimages for spiritual healing, at least as often as they do for physical healing. On a recent pilgrimage which included Lourdes and Fatima, I saw my share of people who had traveled there for relief from physical ailments. But there were also many more who came to find answers to their inner problems. How encouraging it is to read these stories, and therein find light and peace in our own difficulties!

(Monastery of the Incarnation at Avila, where St. Teresa spent many years)

"The truth is magnificent: 

we are nothing, 

but God dwells in us and 

God is everything."

I may have posted this quote from the great St. Teresa of Avila before, but if I have, it bears repeating. 😇She here brilliantly sums up the virtue of humility, and somehow, in just a few words, grinds mankind into the very dust, then lifts us higher than the heavens. We are nothing, but God chooses to live within us by His grace, and He is everything. True self-esteem consists in this -- seeing ourselves as God's beloved children, in whom He chooses to live by His grace. As St. Paul said, "I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me." This is what makes us great, in spite of our weaknesses.

Let our hearts be like the walled city of Avila (shown below). If we let our guard down, we allow the devil and vice to storm inside the castle of our hearts. Instead, let us keep God and His grace inside the haven of our hearts. This makes us truly great!

(The Cathedral of Avila)

"He never fails those who are in need. Either you believe this or you don't believe it; if you believe it, why kill yourselves with worry?"

~ St. Teresa of Avila

This saint was a prolific writer of letters (as well as several brilliant books). Have you ever wondered what her handwriting looked like? See below: 

(St. Mary Magdalen and her sister St. Martha implore Our Lord's mercy for their brother, in a stained-glass window in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.)

Yesterday was the feast of St. Mary Magdalen. I just can't let this special saint's day go by without reflecting on one of the many lessons of her life. Imagine, a great and notorious sinner, called to be a great saint! May she inspire me to become the saint that God wants me to be!

"St. Mary Magdalen's life teaches the hopeful and encouraging lesson that even great sinners may become great saints. It answers many very anxious questions that the repentant and troubled sinner who has fallen into many and great sins must be troubled with....Is it not His dearest wish that where sin did abound, the grace of God should abound the more? Did He not purposely come to seek and save the lost? Did He see nothing good in these lost ones, that would, if He took compassion on them, bring praise and thanksgiving and glory to His Father? Surely oftentimes when grace and sorrow have cleansed away all badness and sin and crime, we come across beautiful characters, great and noble hearts -- great sorrow -- great generosity, and the deepest and truest love of God."

~ Fr. Pius Cavanagh, O.P. Gleanings for Saints and Sinners about St. Mary Magdalen, 1888.