August 2025 (31 July-2 August)
If our monthly triduums are to be fruitful and last, it is essential that all of us who take part in them be animated by the spirit of the apostles. And who exemplifies that spirit more than the saint who begins this month’s triduum: St Ignatius of Loyola. Let’s consider three basic points of his life and teaching and reflect upon them during these three days.
The first is his conviction that our lives must have only one definitive focus: God and eternity. So many saints began their journey to sainthood with this one predominant thought: this life is so terribly short, and after death which is coming very soon we will live forever either in a blissful existence with God who wants us to be with Him, or in eternal separation from Him amidst torments that we cannot even imagine and certainly do not want to experience. What this means is that we have little, very little time, to serve God and save our soul. This point of departure led Ignatius to the heights of sanctity and gave him an incomparable tool for touching other souls. It is a very salutary practice to meditate every day or at least every now and then on the brevity of life and the importance of eternity. And what better time to do so than on our monthly triduum?
The second is a passionate love for Our Lord Jesus Christ and a great desire to imitate Him, following in His footsteps, never wavering from the narrow path that leads to Him and through Him to the Father. How do we learn to do that? There is only one way: consider, contemplate the way He lived as the evangelists present it to us. Whoever who takes the time to prayerfully read the Gospels and consider how the Word Incarnate lived while on earth cannot fail to be touched and changed. This demands no particular talent. All it demands is time and love. Let’s make sure these three days are spent in thinking often of Him and asking Him for the grace too understand what He did for us and the grace to imitate Him as best we can.
The third is to be constant in discerning the influence of the spirits that are around us. Ignatius knew that we are influenced by many thoughts that come from various sources and from our own fallen nature as well. We are all aware of what other people tell us and how they can lead us to good or evil. Faith tells us that there are also the angels who are there to guide us and lead us to God, as well as demons who want to turn us away from God. Although Ignatius gave us precious and intricate rules for discerning the spirits which we cannot go into here, it is already of the greatest benefit to know that any thought to do something wrong is certainly not from God and therefore never to be listened to. Turn from evil and do good, says the Psalm. That is the very first rule for discerning God’s will in our lives.
