Introduction
| Index
to the Letters
Much of Saint Ignatius Loyola's spiritual teaching is found in his letters,
and these have always been regarded by Jesuits as an important source of their
spirituality. Among Ignatius' many letters, those written to his fellow
Jesuits have always had a special place, for in these the Jesuit of today not
only finds Ignatius' teaching on the spiritual life, but he also meets
Ignatius the man, expressing his affection for and interest in those to whom
he wrote. None of Ignatius' other writings so ably exhibits the love he bore
in his heart for those who chose to walk with him along the path toward Christ
than do these letters.
This present collection contains fifty letters and instructions
written to Jesuits. The reader will find included the ever-famous
letters on perfection, obedience, and experiencing the effects of
poverty. In fact, these are more than letters, they are short
treatises on these very subjects. Also included are Ignatius'
instructions on how to deal with others, written when the early
Jesuits were leaving Rome as papal legates for Ireland, or as papal
theologians to attend the Council of Trent, or when they were on their
way to establish the Society in Germany. There are also personal
letters encouraging his correspondents, exhorting them to care for
their health and moderate their penances, or to view their illness as
a gift from God. There are likewise letters of reproof, and though
Ignatius writes as Father General, he at the same time writes as a
father to a son. While correcting his child, he intimates that this
correction flows from paternal love.
These fifty letters are not newly translated, but are a selection and
a revision of the letters translated by William J. Young, S.J., and
published as Letters of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Chicago: Loyola
University Press, 1959). The revision was made with constant reference
to the twelve volumes of Ignatius' letters in the Monumenta
Ignatiana series of the Monumenta Historica Societatis Iesu
(MHSI) (Madrid, 1903-1911). The introductions and notes were
written especially for this edition, and in large measure depend on
the introductions that precede Ignatius' letters in the fourth revised
edition of Obras Completas de San Ignacio de Loyola (Madrid:
Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1982), edited by Ignacio
Iparraguirre, S.I., and Candido de Dalmases, S.I.
In this present edition each letter is preceded by a short
introduction, identifying the letter's recipient and indicating or
explaining the occasion for the letter. The letters are given in
chronological order and cover the years from September 1541 to July
20, 1566, eleven days before Ignatius' death. Toward the end of each
introduction, reference is made to where the letter may be found in
the volumes of the Monumenta Ignatiana.
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