A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
“One day [Ignatius] went to the Church of St. Paul, situated about a mile from Manresa. Near the road is a stream, on the bank of which he sat, and gazed at the deep waters flowing by. While seated there, the eyes of his soul were opened. He did not have any special vision, but his mind was enlightened on many subjects, spiritual and intellectual. So clear was this knowledge that from that day everything appeared to him in a new light. Such was the abundance of this light in his mind that all the divine helps received, and all the knowledge acquired up to his sixty−second year, were not equal to it.”
“When [Ignatius] first came to Alcala a friendship sprang up between him and one Didacus Guya, who lived with his brother, a painter. Through that friendship, Ignatius was abundantly supplied with all that was necessary; hence he would bestow upon the poor the alms that he himself obtained, and besides three other pilgrims stayed with him. One day Ignatius went to Didacus to ask for alms in order to assist some poor people. He replied that he had no money. Opening, however, a chest which belonged to him, he took from it trappings of various colors, candlesticks, and other objects, which he gave to Ignatius, who distributed them to the poor.”
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in The Autobiography of St. Ignatius, ed. J.F.X. O’Conor (New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1900) 13, 20. While I was unable to locate the theme of “abundance” in the famous Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, I did find the idea multiple times in his autobiography, and found these two mentions insightful. What a joy to explore “abundance” as it relates to generosity in the 40 days from the resurrection to the ascension (10 May 2018).
In the first excerpt from the autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola, I resonated with his testimony that one day, while seated by a river, he received an abundance of clarity in his thinking thanks to divine assistance. I find that when I slow down and observe aspects of God’s ordered universe, like a flowing river, whatever is disordered in my thinking seems to fall into the proper place. In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius wrote extensively on the negative impact of disordered attachments. Read it to learn more. To live generous lives, let us find times for reflection with the hope of receiving divine assistance, so we can function with an abundance of clarity.
In the second excerpt from his autobiography, I appreciated the thoughtfulness of Ignatius coupled with the generosity of Didacus. Through their friendship, Ignatius was “abundantly supplied” and yet, he remained mindful of the needs of others. When Ignatius alerted Didacus to the needs of three other poor pilgrims, having no money to aid them, he shared from the material resources that he had. What’s the lesson for us? Our generosity includes money and other possessions. God can use all of it if we are willing to open and share from the chest of blessings He has bestowed upon us. What’s in your chest?