Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1938-1940

rings with a martial note. The very name, Company of Jesus, indicates fighting the good fight captained by Christ. You will agree that man is great who rules his fellow men. Great is he who conquers his fellow men, but great- est of all is he who conquers himself. The dauntless spirit of the Society - fight every evil, surmount every obstacle, carry on in the face of terrific odds and contradictions, champion the cause of the weak and op- pressed, follow Christ, imitate Christ - noth- ing else matters. Do you wonder then that measuring up to the needs of every age and generation, God destined the Jesuit Order to wield the decisive blow in the Counter- reformation? The same zeal that sent the Black Robes, indifferent to the tomahawk, to penetrate the wildernesses in quest of Red Men's souls, also transformed prairies and wastelands into citadels of learning and piety. Through the veins of St. Ignatius Loyola coursed the finest chivalry of Spain. He first conquered himself, transferred his service from the kings of earth to the King of Heav- en, instructed his soldiers to give their officers 4

and their Captain Christ even more exacting obedience than to a military chief; made it clear to them, with the Apostle of the Gen- tiles, that "Everyone who striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from all things." Skilled in the arts and sciences, St. Ignatius learned from sheer experience how to com- bine a life of prayer and penance with that of teaching and study. But primarily he and his fellow soldiers were trained to work out their salvation and the salvation of others in persecution, banishment, and suppression. "In stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowl- edge, in long suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned. As dying and behold we live; as chastised and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as needy, yet enricl1ing many; as having nothing and possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:5, 6, g, 10). On one occasion, while handcuffed, St. Igna- tius' comment reveals the spirit of the Society. Said he: "There are not so many handcuffs and chains in Salamanca but that I desire even more for the love of God." s