Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Constitutions Of The Society Of Jesus, "The Finger of God Is Here"

When the Pope had heard and seen the papers presented by Loyola, he exclaimed,' The finger of God is here.' But he would not proceed as rapidly as Cardinal Contarini anticipated.
He desired three of his cardinals to examine the Constitutions; these were men of eminent learning and worth; but one of them was Bartolomeo Giudiccioni, of Lucca, whose opinion was entirely hostile to religious orders; 
and he would not even take patience to read the papers sent him; 'For,' said he, 'all orders become relaxed, and then do more harm to the Church than they did good in the beginning.' Giudiccioni was a redoubtable opponent, for he was an excellent theologian, a distinguished poet, possessing great abilities, and so highly venerated for his holy life, that when he died Paul III. exclaimed, 'My successor is dead.' His horror at the disorders into which many of the monks and nuns had fallen, made him desire, not reform, but suppression; he wished all orders abolished but four, which he would remodel and place under strict governance.
To allow a new order was, to his mind, an idea not deserving even to be discussed. He would not waste a thought on the scheme of Ignatius; and the weight of his judgment carried with it that of the two cardinals conjoined with him. Ignatius, not discouraged, had recourse to prayer —reminded the Saviour of His promise; 
then, in the name of himself and all his company, he vowed to the Lord that the sacrifice of the mass should be offered three thousand times in thanksgiving when the confirmation they prayed for was granted.
Link (here) to the mentioned portion of the book entitled Ignatius Loyola and the Early Jesuits

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That cardinal had uncanny foresight about the deterioration of religious orders. We are witnessing now that man's predictions come true, especially in the Society of Jesus.