Above all, remember that God looks for solid virtues in us, such

Hear the solemn voice of Saint Ignatius, soldier of God and father of the Jesuits, who proclaimed with burning clarity: “Above all, remember that God looks for solid virtues in us, such as patience, humility, obedience, abnegation of your own will—that is, the good will to serve Him and our neighbor in Him. His providence allows us other devotions only insofar as He sees that they are useful to us.” In these words lies the essence of true discipleship. For he speaks not of lofty visions or passing ecstasies, but of virtues that endure, that root the soul in God’s service and anchor it against the storms of pride and vanity.

The origin of this wisdom is the life of Ignatius himself. Born a man of arms, he sought earthly glory until a cannonball shattered his body and turned his spirit toward heaven. In the silence of his convalescence, he discovered that patience, humility, and obedience were worth more than honor in battle. He learned that to follow God is not to chase after consolations and spiritual delights, but to surrender the self—one’s will, one’s pride, one’s restless longing—to the greater will of the Almighty. Out of this fire was forged the Spiritual Exercises, a guide not to fleeting fervor but to lasting transformation.

Consider the weight of the virtues he names. Patience teaches the soul to endure suffering without bitterness, to trust that God’s timing is greater than our own. Humility strips us of illusions of greatness, allowing us to see ourselves as dust sustained only by grace. Obedience bends the stubborn will to harmony with divine purpose, freeing us from the tyranny of self. And the abnegation of one’s will—that most difficult of offerings—opens the heart fully to God, allowing Him to work without resistance. These are not ornaments, but foundations, without which no devotion, however bright, can endure.

History itself gives us examples of this truth. Saint Francis of Assisi, radiant in poverty and joy, did not build his sanctity on visions alone, but on humility and service, washing the feet of lepers and embracing the lowly. Mother Teresa, in more recent days, confessed often to her inner darkness, yet she clung to obedience and patience, tending to the dying in Calcutta. Their greatness lay not in extraordinary revelations, but in solid virtues, tested in fire. And as Ignatius reminds us, even the most exalted devotions—visions, raptures, consolations—are permitted only insofar as they serve the growth of such virtue.

The meaning of his words is therefore a rebuke to shallow faith. Many chase after spiritual sweetness, seeking only joy and exaltation in prayer. But God, Ignatius says, does not prize such fleeting feelings; He desires the good will to serve Him and our neighbor. Devotion without service is vanity, prayer without virtue is hollow. True sanctity is proven not in moments of ecstasy, but in the quiet labor of daily faithfulness, in bending one’s will to God and lifting one’s neighbor in love.

The lesson for future generations is clear: do not measure your faith by the devotions you practice or the feelings you experience, but by the virtues you embody. Are you patient in trial? Are you humble in success? Are you obedient to God’s commands and to just authority? Do you daily renounce your own selfish will in order to serve others? These are the questions by which heaven measures the soul. The rest—ceremonies, consolations, outward forms—are useful only as God deems them helpful to this deeper work.

Therefore, let your actions be thus: practice patience when life delays, practice humility when pride whispers, practice obedience when your will rebels, and daily offer your heart in abnegation to God’s will. Serve your neighbor, not for your glory, but in Him. And remember always that God, in His providence, permits every devotion, every gift, every trial, for the sake of forming these virtues within you. For as Saint Ignatius proclaimed, it is upon such solid stones that the soul is built, and it is by them that one becomes a true servant of God and of humanity.