Fifth Day of Novena

From Mother Ignacia’s life story we see reflected the virtue of justice that lay at the source of her decisions. Filial devotion would have been served in aligning herself with her parents’ decision regarding the disposition of her life in marriage; but to pursue that inspiration to dedicate her whole being to the service of the Divine Majesty was to render to God what God desired of her. Shepherding her first community to serve God in chastity, poverty and obedience she upheld the right of a colonized and evangelized people, women, no less, to the pursuit of religious perfection, just as much as anyone in the colony and in the Church. That same sense of justice gave birth to a religious family consisting of only one level of membership, regardless of race or social distinction, as well as an apostolic service that did not discriminate between the Española and the Yndia, the ‘haves’ and the’ have-nots.’ And in the light of social mores of the period, this constituted a challenge that only this ‘valiant woman,' only an yndia, responded to heroically.

This posture of justice the Venerable Ignacia carried throughout her 85 years, to her last breath, rendering to her God what belonged to Him, namely, her whole being. 

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve: to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your Most Holy Will. (St. Ignatius' Prayer for Generosity) 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.