***
Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
What are two of the most important words any Christian can say?
“Yes, Jesus.”
In Latin, Iesu ita.
Some say it’s from these two words, Iesu ita, that we get the word, “Jesuit.”
***
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a man who not only founded the Jesuit religious order, but also lived his life according to those words, “Yes, Jesus.”
***
Prior to his conversion, Ignatius was a soldier in the Spanish army, who desired nothing more than glory in war. But his life changed after suffering a terrible leg injury, landing him bedridden in a hospital for months.
Reluctantly, Ignatius started reading the biographies of different Saints, as there were no other books available. But their stories inspired him so deeply that he converted to Catholicism and decided he would do his best to become a Saint, too.
After being ordained a Catholic priest, Ignatius founded the Jesuits with a few friends and a vow to live those two simple words: Iesu ita.
“Yes Jesus.”
500 years later, there are more than 17,000 Jesuits sharing the Gospel across the globe, including Pope Francis!
***
In the spirit of Ignatius, what might saying Iesu ita, “yes Jesus” mean for me today?
***
***
Image credits: (1) Medium (2) Jesuitespao.com (3) Creative Fabrica