St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, is a man who embodies abandonment of the world for the sake of Christ. Born to a prominent family in the Spanish Golden Age, he burns in his youth with the desire for honor. A famed athlete of his day, Ignatius pursues glory as a courtier and knight with the hopes of winning the admiration of women and Spanish nobility.

Left debilitated by an injury sustained from battle, bedridden Ignatius confronts the vanity in his heart. With only the lives of the saints and Sacred Scripture to read, he comes face-to-face with Christ. In solitude, he recognizes the emptiness of worldly glory and the steady fire stirred by thoughts of holiness.

He rises from his sickbed changed. He lays his sword at Our Lady of Montserrat and takes up a new banner—heaven. Ignatius becomes a priest of Jesus Christ and forms the Jesuits, training men as disciplined soldiers to be sent across the world to fight for the salvation of souls. The remainder of his life poured out in labor for Christ reflects the motto of the Jesuit order: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG)—For the Greater Glory of God.

Ignatius stands as a challenge to every man with a warrior’s heart: your desire for greatness is not wrong. It is meant for Christ.