Contemplatives in Action!

Friday, July 31, 2026

Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola

1 Cor 10: 31-11:1; Lk 14: 25-33

The feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola inspires us to live as contemplatives in action. 

For the Jesuit founder, authentic contemplation always leads to transformative praxis. For this reason, he invited his fellow Jesuits to pray deeply, discern wisely, and serve generously.

We may reflect on the idea of ‘contemplatives in action’ from three viewpoints. 

1. Conversion of Heart: St. Ignatius placed tremendous emphasis on the conversion of the heart. For this reason, he wanted The Spiritual Exercises not merely to enhance intellectual understanding but primarily to change one’s heart. St. Ignatius was aware that mere knowing may still lack the will to respond to God’s generous love. Hence, the goal of spiritual exercises is to evoke the response of the heart. Here, the heart of a person makes a fundamental choice for or in favor of God, and therefore, in Ignatian spirituality, conversion is about getting our hearts in the right place. It is the transformed heart that becomes receptive to God’s promptings and actualizes His will for humanity. 

2. Contemplation as the Source: St. Ignatius wanted every Jesuit or every disciple of Christ to ask continually: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?’ These three questions are meant to act as guides that shape our everyday action. The first question invites us to remember in gratitude the abundance of God’s grace and to examine if and how we have responded to it. The second question inspires us to ask if we are faithful to God in the present. The third question wards off complacency by inviting us to embrace greater courage, generosity, and commitment. Thus, for Ignatius, contemplation is never passive. On the contrary, it becomes the very impetus for us to commit ourselves more fully to Christ. 

3. Creative Mission as the Outcome: Because the Jesuit founder places the utmost emphasis on being contemplatives in action, the Jesuit mission has always been pioneering and groundbreaking. One can see the result of discernment in the remarkable creativity and efficiency of the Jesuit mission. As people who seek God in all things, Jesuits have contributed immensely to fields like education, social justice, scientific research, media, migration, and what not! Constantly guided by the question, ‘Where is God leading me at this moment?’ a Jesuit’s life bears the fruit of such constant contemplation. We must remember that the wider horizon of the Jesuit apostolate owes more to the Jesuit practice of discernment, following the way of St. Ignatius, taking the Gospel to encounter new people and new situations. A Jesuit life is a testament to the fact that listening intently to God gives birth to transformative action.

Let us pray that we may be inspired by the Ignatian vision of contemplation in action.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar