Name: Angel Florence V.

Villare Year & Course: 1st Year, BEED

Section: ED11

REFLECTION PAPER

Iñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola, widely known as St. Ignatius Loyola, who was born in the Castle
Loyola and raised in a household of great Catholic devotion as the youngest of 13 children. He did
find himself as a soldier protecting the castle of Pamplona against by the French, who proclaimed
the land as their own and declared war against Spain. Nonetheless, he had made the decision to
move to Jerusalem, where our Lord had spent his earthly existence. He started his journey to
Barcelona by leaving his swords and knives at the shrine, giving up all of his good garments to a
homeless fellow, and clothed himself in rags.

What I find most significant about St. Ignatius Loyola's life is that it showed me how lovely it is
to keep living with the existence and faith in our Almighty God, despite the fact that life is also
full of challenges of always being obedient. He also inspired me to see what lies behind my
failures, and how they may be used as a stepping stone for new starts and learning. Furthermore,
his failure in the war served as the motivation for him to come to a deeper understanding of God.
On a personal basis, I am completely aware that failure is simply a natural part of life and
throughout our life, we will be experiencing series of failures. From a personal experience, I've
gone through periods in my life wherein there are so much disappointments because I have face
many failures more than I'd like to admit. But that never makes me want to shut myself off from
the rest of the world. I've faced and overcome a variety of life's problems. I've also been through
emotional breakdown as well as academically stressed and those setbacks and misfortunes have
shaped me into the more self-assured and self-reliant woman I am now. It takes courage to try and
make the best of your situation. It's through failure that we learn the greatest lessons that life could
teach us.

What I find most significant about St. Ignatius Loyola's work was the composition of the
Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and spiritual insights that gave birth to Ignatian
spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises which they are rooted in Christ's love and inspired by St.
Ignatius of Loyola's spiritual vision to help others and seek God in all things. And it's worth

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remembering that throughout his conversion, Ignatius saw God not as a distant and distant figure,
so as a teacher who was actively involved in his life. I remember something they called "cura
personalis," which means "care of the whole person." I believe this is significant because it simply
comes down to respect for all that makes up every individual. Similarly, our Christian religion
must include not only the head but also the heart, the soul, and the body. Spiritual exercises are
just as vital as physical exercises.

What I feel about being part now of a Jesuit institution is that the compassion I have to commit for
the change which includes exhibiting sympathy for being a responsible and good Atenean in order
to attain better in my present and future life. We all know that Ateneo is good religiously, in
keeping with their Catholic faith, and that they uphold the core values of having adequate means
of living and pleasure. They frequently demonstrate moral goodness combined with a desire to do
the right thing, which I believe is a useful approach in shaping us not only as students but also as
individuals. Because Ateneo provides excellent education and employs great faculty and
administration, I'm sure it was a simple task to connect with them about how I planned to spend
my four years at the university.

St Ignatius of Loyola and his companions has left the Church with a great legacy. We perceive a
significant contribution to the discernment of different spirits and the discernment of God's will
for one's life in Ignatius' life and Exercises. And so Ignatius was aware of the relationship between
his mind's innermost thoughts and his heart's and emotions' feelings. This connection between our
sentiments and thoughts can be applied to our own lives in terms of how we can use Ignatius'
teaching to live truthfully in our current missions. Furthermore, by integrating these concepts with
our heart's thoughts and emotions, I know I can be confident of understanding the workings of
Grace and how I should respond to the responsibilities in my everyday situations.

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References:
https://www.luc.edu/mission/archivedjesuitpages/jesuitcommunityatloyolauniversitychicago/bio
graphyofstignatiusloyola/
https://www.xavier.edu/mission-identity/trustees/life-of-ignatius/ignatius-biography