Jack Fogarty
October 7, 2008
Th100-10
Ignatius Essay
Zanzig states that there are many signs of God's presence in the world. As humans, we have many clues that lead us to believe in the existence of God. The signs that Zanzig points out are the convictions of people who care about us, human reason, universal belief throughout history, and the experience of being loved. The text also states that God longs to have an intimate personal relationship with us in which both God and humans fully reveal themselves. To build up this relationship, Zanzig tells us that God reveals himself to us in four ways. These ways are: within individual experience; throughout the events of history; within sacred writings or scriptures; and through religious teachings and statements of faith.
Several of the points made by Zanzig can be illustrated by the life of Ignatius. The two most important relations are in the category of how God revealed himself to Ignatius. The first way that God revealed Himself to Ignatus was through The Life of Christ and The Lives of the Saints. This revelation is an example of God revealing himself through sacred writings. The second way that God revealed himself to Ignatius was through a vision of Mary holding the child Jesus. Here, God reveals Himself to Ignatius through individual experience. Finally, God revealed Himself to Ignatius on the bank of the Cardoner River. Here, all of God's revelations came together and Ignatius shared an incredible openness with God. This revelation is another example of God revealing himself within individual experience. These three examples show that God will reveal himself to us if we are open to him.
Danny Hogan
Theology 100-10
10/8/08
Ignatius and How Can We Know About God?
God is always revealing himself to us to many mysterious ways.� Some of the ways are too difficult for us to understand, but many others are within our grasp and knowledge.� We can choose with the free will that God has given us to either interpret the signs as God initiating a live long relationship, like when a man �proposes� to his wife, or we can choose to just let them go without any deep consideration or thought.�� God is always there, always watching, and always waiting for you to take His hand and let Him lead you to a life of love and happiness.
In the text God reveals Himself to us in four main ways: within individual experience, through the events of history, within sacred writings or scriptures, and through religious teachings and statements of faith.� In other words, He reveals His Sacred Mystery to us individually; through the history of the community; through the Bible, what we believe is His word; and through the teachings of the Church.� In these ways God tries to make Himself known to us everyday. �He longs for intimacy with us because He loves us and always will.� The gift He gives to us because He loves us so much is faith. It is our decision to deepen our faith in Him and take it to the next level or to simply ignore it and do nothing.
Ignatius wasn�t always an exceptional, faith-driven person.� He had many flaws and made his share of mistakes. �Actually, for the majority of his life, Ignatius spent his time focusing on becoming a heroic knight and getting all of the ladies- what society said was essential to achieve happiness at the time. �He had no time for God.� Then Ignatius experienced God�s revelation through a link of events and realized that he did need Him after all. Ignatius dropped everything he had and became a beggar.� To prove to God of his conversion, he lay down his sword and dagger at the chapel of Our Lady. �This was a major turning point because through this act, Ignatius was telling God that he was sorry for journeying on the wrong path for so long.
The major event that led to his conversion and metanoia was initiated by Battle of Pamplona, where Ignatius was hit in the leg and put on bed rest in Loyola. �While recovering in Loyola, Ignatius was given two books to read: the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. �At first he was reluctant to even read a couple of pages, but then he found himself day-dreaming about Jesus and the disciples of Christ, like he day dreamed of a mysterious girl that he thought was beautiful. From this point on he knew that God was calling him to live a religious life.
I believe that the reading of the two books that led to his conversion would be considered as God revealing Himself to Ignatius through all four of the ways that Zanzig offers to us. �Even though the books weren�t sacred writings, they were still influential writings about God�s son and other models of the faith. They were writings about people expressing sacred-like values. �They were also teachings of the Church because in talking about the Saints and Jesus, the books are giving us clear understanding of their lives, which are known to us through the church. �They were his own individual experience because he experienced them by reading them. �Finally, they were also an example of through the history of the people because the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints are literally all about the lives of Jesus and some of the saints. �
Throughout his days, God came into contact with Ignatius many more times. At the River of Chardoner, Ignatius shared in a union with God, unsurpassable in grace or happiness by anything he had ever experienced before. �It was here that he experienced his metanoia. �This would be an example of through your own personal experience. �God made a very intimate reach Ignatius when he was at the river. �He experienced a perfect union with God that God had given him as a gift for being so loving and faithful. �This is experience of Ignatius is truly remarkable and unique.
God also revealed Himself to Ignatius after he spent months of being an ascetic in Manresa when Ignatius realized that it wasn�t the best way to be developing his relationship with God.� This is a major example of God revealing Himself to Ignatius through individual experience because it was truly through Ignatius� experience of being an ascetic that he realized there were better ways to be worshipping God.
We see that God has revealed Himself to Ignatius many times throughout his life. �Is this because he loved Ignatius more and wanted to be closer to him more than anyone else? �Of course not. �God wants to experience a similar relationship with all of us.� He is revealing Himself to us in many ways everyday too. �His Sacred Mystery is revealed to us more and more as we polish our relationship with Him. We see how Ignatius didn�t initially believe that it is through God that we achieve true happiness.� Even he was ignorant in the beginning!� We can make the change that he did!� It is so evident that God is there! �What are we waiting for? �All you really need to do is look.