Blog 4

I guess it is always hard comparing my life to someone who was such an influential religious leader, but when learning about Ignatius’ life, I quickly realized that he was a person just like me. Ignatius went through several different aspects of his life like any average person goes through. He had to suffer at times, go through his young wild days, question his spirituality, go through schooling, etc… There are several aspects of Ignatius’ life that I would compare to mine. First of all, his romantic side as a young man is something I would relate to myself. I would consider myself someone who is a romantic. While he was a man who wanted to win the hand of a woman as a knight, I would consider myself like a girl version of this. His conversion is also something I would relate to. Although I wouldn’t say I went through the same kind of conversion, at the age of 18, when I first started college, I feel I started to realize more of who I was as a spiritual person and who I’d grow to be throughout my time at college. This I feel is similar to Ignatius and the way he began his spiritual journey to a better understanding of Christianity. Another important part of Ignatius’ life that I would relate to my life was his time of service. When forming the Jesuits, he knew service would be a huge part of their order both in working in schools and helping the sick. One of the most important times in my life was when I got the opportunity to travel with my church to Belize. There, I was able to work in schools and religious communities spreading the word of Christ, helping the sick, and rebuilding a church. This is the aspect of my life that I would most relate to Ignatius’. With all of these moments in my life, I realize how closely I could relate to the life of Ignatius Loyola and even the life of many of the Jesuits. It is amazing how to see how we can all grow in our faith throughout our lives.