Here’s the saint’s calendar for July 31, 2019, and some versions, (All St. Ignatius today) each focusing on individual saints, all wonderful; for they are the Church Triumphant.

What a blessing it is to read these stories each morning

Remember, the Saints are the good and holy bones of the Church.

The Catholic Church has many saints and reading about their lives has been a spiritual journey Catholics have been on since the publication of the Golden Legend, http://sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu/basis/goldenlegend/

From Butler’s Calendar of the Saints (which follows the old dating) listing all of the saints of today. https://web.archive.org/web/20060917144945/http://catholic-forum.com/saints/day0731.htm

Here is a wonderful daily devotional site offering much to reflect on, including their version of saint of the day, Anastpaul https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/

Here is what the 1962 Roman Missal (old dating) says about St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor, “Ignatius, courtier and knight, was wounded at the siege of Pamplona. During his long convalescence the reading of the lives of the Saints revealed to him that the Church militant needed an army of glorious soldiers to fight the forces combined against it: Pagans, Mohammedans, Protestants, etc. He founded the Society of Jesus and as first General of this new spiritual chivalry he moved to the attack under the motto: “Ad majorem Dei gloriam—To the greater glory of God!” He died with the Holy Name of Jesus on his lips A. D. 1556.” (p. 1401) The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual. (2004). To purchase this Missal for your library go to the publisher, Baronius Press: London: https://www.baroniuspress.com/book.php?wid=56&bid=4#tab=tab-1

From Butler’s Lives of the Saints, (old dating) by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. edition, [1894], St. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA. “ST. IGNATIUS was born at Loyola in Spain, in the year 1491. He served his king as a courtier and a soldier till his thirtieth year. At that age, being laid low by a wound, he received the call of divine grace to leave the world. He embraced poverty and humiliation, that he might become more like to Christ, and won others to join him in the service of God. Prompted by their love for Jesus Christ, Ignatius and his companions made a vow to go to the Holy Land, but war broke out, and prevented the execution of their project. Then they turned to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and placed themselves under his obedience. This was the beginning of the Society of Jesus.

“Our Lord promised St. Ignatius that the precious heritage of His Passion should never fail his Society, a heritage of contradictions and persecutions. St. Ignatius was cast into prison at Salamanca, on a suspicion of heresy. To a friend who expressed sympathy with him on account of his imprisonment, he replied, “It is a sign that you have but little love of Christ in your heart, or you would not deem it so hard a fate to be in chains for His sake. I declare to you that all Salamanca does not contain as many fetters, manacles, and chains as I long to wear for the love of Jesus Christ.” St. Ignatius went to his crown on the 31st July, 1556.” http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/lots/lots240.htm

From Franciscan Media, (new dating) St. Ignatius of Loyola, (October 23, 1491 – July 31, 1556), “The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona. He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned.

It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises.

He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. Ignatius spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods.

In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others—one of whom was Saint Francis Xavier—vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general.

When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens, and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.

Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.” https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-ignatius-of-loyola/

From Tradition in Action, (old dating) St. Ignatius of Loyola, “Ignatius was born in northern Spain in 1491 at the Castle of Loyola. The youngest son of Don Beltran, Lord of Onaz and Loyola, he entered into service at the court of King Ferdinand V at age 15. He chose to pursue a military career.

“During the siege of Pamplona he was gravely injured by a cannonball that struck his right leg. During his convalescence he profited from reading the lives of the Saints. He came to understand that the Church also had a militia to defend the interests of God, the Lord of Hosts.

“At Montserrat, Ignatius laid aside his sword at the altar of the Holy Virgin. He founded the Society of Jesus with the goal of combating Protestantism, Jansenism, and the neo-paganism prevalent at that time.

“He wrote the book Spiritual Exercises to form his disciples. He chose as motto of his Society: Ad majorem Dei gloriam – All for the greater glory of God [A.M.D.G.]. He died on July 31, 1556 pronouncing the name of Jesus.” https://traditioninaction.org/SOD/j032sdIgnatius7-31.htm