Ignatius Of Loyola Quotes & Sayings

It is not the finest wood that feeds the fire of Divine love, but the wood of the Cross. — Ignatius Of Loyola

But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name of Jesus Christ in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ, to their own destruction, and that of those who give credit to them, whom you must avoid as ye would wild beasts. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Teach us to give and not to count the cost. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Next it dawned on him that the former ideas were of the world, the latter God-sent; finally, worldly thoughts began to lose their hold, while heavenly ones grew clearer and dearer. — Ignatius Of Loyola

He who has heard the Word of God can bear his silences.. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive ... that is where God is. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The acknowledgment of and gratitude for favors and gifts received is loved and esteemed in Heaven and on earth. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If one fears men much he will never do anything great for God: all that one does for God arouses persecution. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Do not put faith in constant happiness, and fear most when all smiles upon you. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Imagine that leader of all the enemy, in that great plain of Babylon, sitting on a sort of throne of smoking flame, a horrible and terrifying sight. Watch him calling together countless devils, to despatch them into different cities till the whole world is covered, forgetting no province or locality, no class or single individual. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God. — Ignatius Of Loyola

God will not be outdone in generosity. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from Thee. From the wicked foe defend me. At the hour of my death call me. And bid me come to Thee. That with Thy saints I may praise Thee For ever and ever. Amen. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Idleness is hells fishhook for catching souls. — Ignatius Of Loyola

To give, and not to count the cost
to fight, and not to heed the wounds,
to toil, and not to seek for rest,
to labor, and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will — Ignatius Of Loyola

To withdraw from creatures and repose with Jesus in the Tabernacle is my delight; there I can hide myself and seek rest. There I find a life which I cannot describe, a joy which I cannot make others comprehend, a peace such as is found only under the hospitable roof of our best Friend. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Let your modesty be a sufficient incitement, yea, an exhortation to everyone to be at peace on their merely looking at you. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Considering that the blessed life we so long for consists in an intimate and true love of God Our Creator and Lord, which binds and obliges us all to a sincere love. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The glory of God is humankind fully alive. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ. — Ignatius Of Loyola

We must put aside all judgment of our own, and keep the mind ever ready and prompt to obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, our holy Mother, the hierarchical Church. — Ignatius Of Loyola

A person with imprecise ideas can understand little and be of less help to others. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Lord, teach me to be generous;
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil, and not to seek for rest;
To labor, and not to ask for reward -
except to know that I am doing your will. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If you attach your heart to certain places and occupations, obedience oftentimes places you in some other place that you may not like; to be always cheerful, be always humble and obedient. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. — Ignatius Of Loyola

He learned by experience that one train of thought left him sad, the other joyful. This was his first reasoning on spiritual matters. — Ignatius Of Loyola

So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The enemy is like a woman, weak in face of opposition, but correspondingly strong when not opposed. In a quarrel with a man, it is natural for a woman to lose heart and run away when he faces up to her; on the other hand, if the man begins to be afraid and to give ground, her rage, vindictiveness and fury overflow and know no limit. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. — Ignatius Of Loyola

To conquer himself is the greatest victory that man can gain. — Ignatius Of Loyola

They who load us with insults and ignominies give us the means of acquiring treasures more precious than any that man can gain in this life. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The picture. A great plain, comprising the entire Jerusalem district, where is the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the forces of good, Christ our Lord: another plain near Babylon, where Lucifer is, at the head of the enemy. — Ignatius Of Loyola

God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know His holy will, and to do it fully. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me is only my deepest happiness. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Laugh and grow strong — Ignatius Of Loyola

Pardon me, O perfections of my God, for having preferred imperfect and evil inclinations to Thee! Pardon me, O justice of my God, for having outraged Thee by my sins. Pardon me, O holiness of my God, for having so long stained Thy sight's purity by my sins. Pardon me, O mercy of my God, for having despised so long Thy mercy's voice. In deep sorrow and contrition, I cast myself at Thy feet: Have mercy on me. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Few souls understand what God would effect in them if they should give themselves entirely into his hands and allow his grace to act. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The principal end both of my father and of myself in the conquest of India ... has been the propagation of the holy Catholic faith. — Ignatius Of Loyola

You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and grace. That is enough for me. — Ignatius Of Loyola

God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.
All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully.
As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go. — Ignatius Of Loyola

All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. — Ignatius Of Loyola

We ought even to hold as a fixed principle that what I see white I believe to be black, if the superior authorities define it to be so. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Go forth and set the world on fire. — Ignatius Of Loyola

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. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity. — Ignatius Of Loyola

After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Up to his twenty-sixth year the heart of Ignatius was enthralled by the vanities of the world. His special delight was in the military life, and he seemed led by a strong and empty desire of gaining for himself a great name. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Calisto, a companion of Ignatius, and who on recovering from a severe illness had heard of the imprisonment of Ignatius, hastened from Segnovia, where he was staying, and came to Alcala, that he, too, might be cast into prison. — Ignatius Of Loyola

As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Just as the commander of an army pitches his camp, studies the strength and defenses of a fortress, and then attacks it on its weakest side, in like manner, the enemy of our human nature studies from all sides our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues. Wherever he finds us weakest and most in need regarding our eternal salvation, he attacks and tries to take us by storm. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Truth always ends by victory; it is not unassailable, but invincible. — Ignatius Of Loyola

One must wage war against his predominant passion and not retreat until, with God's help, he has been victorious. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Stand firm and immovable as an anvil when it is beaten upon. — Ignatius Of Loyola

For it is not knowing much, but realising and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our lord may wish to work in you. it is certainly a higher virtue of the soul, and a greater grace, to be able to enjoy the Lord in different times and different places than in only one. — Ignatius Of Loyola

if it happens that the soul is attached or inclined to a thing inordinately, that one should move himself, putting forth all his strength, to come to the contrary of what he is wrongly drawn to. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you. — Ignatius Of Loyola

God inclines to shower His graces upon us, but our perverted will is a barrier to His generosity. — Ignatius Of Loyola

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES whereby to conquer oneself, and order one's life, without being influenced in one's decision by any inordinate affection. — Ignatius Of Loyola

No idle word should be uttered. I understand a word to be idle when it serves no good purpose, either for myself or for another, and was not intended to do so. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If, one day, I should offend God in any way, or grow remiss, though ever so little, in that which concerns His holy service and glory, I solemnly implore Him, rather let me die. — Ignatius Of Loyola

A religious ought to dread more being afraid of poverty than experiencing it. — Ignatius Of Loyola

In the case of those who are making progress from good to better, the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water enters a sponge, while the evil spirit touches it sharply, with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock. — Ignatius Of Loyola

What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines. — Ignatius Of Loyola

He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Finding God in All Things. — Ignatius Of Loyola

O my God, teach me to be generous
to serve you as you deserve to be served
to give without counting the cost
to fight without fear of being wounded
to work without seeking rest
and to spend myself without expecting any reward
but the knowledge that I am doing your holy will.
Amen — Ignatius Of Loyola

[L]ove ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words ... love consists in a mutual sharing of goods, for example, the lover gives and shares with the beloved what he possesses, or something of that which he has or is able to give; and vice versa, the beloved shares with the lover. Hence, if one has knowledge, he shares it with the one who does not possess it; and so also if one has honors, or riches. Thus, one always gives to the other. — Ignatius Of Loyola

The servant of God earns half a doctorate through illness — Ignatius Of Loyola

He who is devout to the Virgin Mother will certainly never be lost. — Ignatius Of Loyola

For though, outside the Exercises, we can lawfully and with merit influence every one who is probably fit to choose continence, virginity, the religious life and all manner of evangelical perfection, still in the Spiritual Exercises, when seeking the Divine Will, it is more fitting and much better, that the Creator and Lord Himself should communicate Himself to His devout soul, inflaming it with His love and praise, and disposing it for the way in which it will be better able to serve Him in future. So, he who is giving the Exercises should not turn or incline to one side or the other, but standing in the centre like a balance, leave the Creator to act immediately with the creature, and the creature with its Creator and Lord. — Ignatius Of Loyola

He who is not getting better is getting worse. — Ignatius Of Loyola

O my God, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as I should,
to give without counting the cost,
to fight without fear of being wounded,
to work without seeking rest,
to labour without expecting any reward,
but the knowledge that I am doing your most holy will. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Discouragement is not from God. — Ignatius Of Loyola

For they speak of Christ, not that they may preach Christ, but that they may reject Christ; and they speak of the law, not that they may establish the law, but that they may proclaim things contrary to it. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Let me look at the foulness and ugliness of my body. Let me see myself as an ulcerous sore running with every horrible and disgusting poison. — Ignatius Of Loyola

He who carries God in his heart bears Heaven with him wherever he goes. — Ignatius Of Loyola

If anyone asks you for something that you believe would be injurious to him, refuse, but in such a manner as not to lose his good-will. — Ignatius Of Loyola

We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel. — Ignatius Of Loyola

There is no doubt that God will never be wanting to us, provided that He finds in us that humility which makes us worthy of His gifts, the desire of possessing them, and the promptitude to co-operate industriously with the graces He gives us. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words. — Ignatius Of Loyola

All the honey that can be gathered from the flowers of this world has less sweetness than the vinegar and gall of Jesus Christ our Lord. — Ignatius Of Loyola

One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to preserve the soul from sin, and to help those who fall through weakness to rise again. It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to remain away through an excess of fear and scrupulosity. — Ignatius Of Loyola

Love is shown more in deeds than in words. — Ignatius Of Loyola