Homily Feast of St.

Ignatius of Loyola
Jeremiah 20:7-9 / Psalm 34 (33) / 1 Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1 / Luke 14:25-33

Nechayev, a 19th-century disciple of Karl Marx who had a role in the assassination of Czar
Alexander II, wrote a document entitled The Revolutionary Catechism. And he begins his
Catechism with the following words:
The revolutionary is a doomed man. He has no personal interests, no business affairs,
no emotions, no attachments, no property, and no name. Everything in him is wholly
absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution.
Although his motives and goals were wrong, Nechayev’s statement is a clear illustration of what
singlemindedness of commitment truly means.
Jesus wanted true commitment from His disciples. In Luke 14, we read that large crowds
joined Him as He traveled toward Jerusalem (v.25). Perhaps these casual followers considered
themselves to be His true disciples, but Jesus taught that following Him was more than just
knowing facts about Him, or knowing what his words mean.
He explained what it really meant to be His disciple when He defined the cost of discipleship:
Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers,
and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the
cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
In other words, nothing, not love for one’s family or even love for one’s own life, is to take
precedence over love and devotion to Jesus (vv.26-33). His disciples must acknowledge that if
God is to be first in their lives, then possessions and everything else, even family and social
relationships have to be second.
This was clear to St. Ignatius of Loyola. In his Suscipe Prayer, he surrenders everything to the
Lord:
Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, Lord, I return it. All is
Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace,
that is enough for me.
And for us who wish to follow Ignatius, we know that surrendering everything is difficult:
 It is not easy for a student to give up time with friends or time for one’s other interests so
as to study and become better, to be more so that s/he can do more for others.
 It is not easy for a teacher to give us time to watch the latest Netflix series so that s/he can
mark papers and give timely feedback to his/her students as a concrete sign of his/her
commitment to the formation of the future leaders of our country.
 It is not easy for an office staff to carry on with his/her work despite the hazards of the
pandemic.
 It is not easy for an administrator to sacrifice part of his/her free time to perform
important tasks even if they receive more complaints than appreciation from the people
they serve.
And it is not surprising if we echo the words of Jeremiah in today’s first reading: “O Lord you
have enticed me, and I was entice; you have empowered me, and you have prevailed.” Some
translations even use the word dupe: “You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you
were too strong for me, and you triumphed.”
And yet, we allow ourselves to be duped, to be enticed by the Lord. Why? Ignatius explains
this in his Principle & Foundation: “The goal of our life is to live with God forever. God, who
loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God’s life to flow into us without limit.”
And if this is the principle of our lives, then Ignatius advice is that, “Our only desire and our one
choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in me.”
Jesus calls His followers to be absorbed in a single, exclusive thought and passion—Him.

“You are your deep and constant desire. As is you desire, so is your will, as is your will, so is
your effort, and as your effort, so is your destiny.” – a Sanskrit Upanishad

Several years ago I read an article about the importance of counting the cost before making a
major purchase. The advice is particularly appropriate for those of us who overspent this past
Christmas season.
The writer illustrated his point by adding up the actual cost of the gifts listed in the popular song
“Twelve Days of Christmas.” The result was a lot less romantic than the song itself. All the gifts
given in the name of love have their price.
A pear tree was figured at $14, one partridge—$15, two turtle doves— $10, three French hens—
$36, four calling birds—$140, five golden rings—$1,000, six geese a-laying— $1,260, and so
on. The total tab for all 12 days came to $10,314.92. (And that was not figured at today’s prices.)
Counting the cost is also important in our commitment to Christ. He made this clear in Luke 14,
when He talked about what it takes to be His disciple—loving Him more than family
relationships, our possessions, or even our own life.
Giving your life in service to Christ and others can be very rewarding. But let’s remember what
Jesus said. Being His disciple has its price, and we must carefully count the cost.

Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet.” He may have had a sensitive and melancholic
disposition that was compounded by his heartbreak over God’s judgment on disobedient Israel.
His capacity for sorrow is amazing: “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of
tears, that I might weep day and night!” (Jer. 9:1).
As if sorrow for his nation were not enough, Jeremiah was persecuted for his prophetic message
of judgment. In one instance, Jeremiah was imprisoned in a cistern filled with mire (Jer. 38:6).
Opposition to his ministry had gotten the great prophet stuck in a place of despair.
Sometimes in our attempts to serve the Lord, we can feel stuck in painful circumstances and
surprising heartache. But the prophet’s resilience should inspire us to persevere. Jeremiah’s sense
of divine call was so strong that he could not be deterred from serving the Lord. “But His word
was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I
could not” (Jer. 20:9).
Have the results of your service for the Lord been disappointing? Ask Him to renew your heart
by His Spirit, and continue to serve God despite your setbacks.
The prophet Jeremiah had the difficult job of proclaiming God’s messages to the Israelites. This
required him to endure physical abuse, verbal attacks, imprisonment, and isolation. Although
Jeremiah struggled with deep discouragement, he had a Helper through all of his trouble. God
promised him, “I am with you . . . to deliver you” (Jer. 1:19).

Decades ago, when Romania was still under the control of Communism, Bela Karolyi coached
gymnastics. Early in his coaching career he developed the Romanian centralized training system
for gymnastics. One of his earliest protégés was Nadia Comăneci, the first Olympic Games
gymnast to be awarded a perfect score.
For his success in training athletes who were bringing fame to Communist Romania, he was
rewarded with an expensive car and many other favors. But all this did not matter to Bela
because what he hungered for was freedom. So one day, he resolutely walked out of Romania,
and penniless and with only a small suitcase, he liberty in the United States.