Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready

The words of Saint Ignatius—“Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our Lord may wish to work in you. It is certainly a higher virtue of the soul, and a greater grace, to be able to enjoy the Lord in different times and different places than in only one”—resound as a song of stillness amidst the storms of life. In this teaching, the saint, a warrior turned mystic, urges us to keep our hearts unshaken by the tempests of circumstance. For the soul that remains in peace is like a vessel ready to receive the treasures of heaven, while the soul disturbed is like a broken jar, unable to hold the gifts poured into it.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the very life of Ignatius of Loyola. Once a soldier consumed with glory and ambition, he was struck down by a cannonball and left bedridden. In that long season of pain, he discovered that earthly triumphs pass like shadows, but the quiet presence of God fills eternity. His conversion was not born in the clamor of battle, but in the stillness of reflection, where he learned to surrender his will. From then on, he taught that the true strength of the Christian is not found in restlessness or constant striving, but in keeping the soul anchored in calm readiness, awaiting the Lord’s will in every place and every season.

History offers us countless examples of this principle. Think of Brother Lawrence, the humble monk who lived centuries after Ignatius. He was not known for great deeds or thunderous sermons, but for his simple practice of the presence of God. Whether washing dishes or walking in the garden, he enjoyed the Lord equally in all tasks and in all places. His soul, kept in peace and quiet, found joy in the most ordinary of labors, teaching the world that holiness is not confined to the church or the monastery, but can be tasted in the kitchen, the marketplace, or the field. His life, like Ignatius’s words, proclaimed that true grace is to delight in God not only on the mountaintop, but also in the valley.

The meaning of Ignatius’s teaching is profound: to be content in one season or one place is easy, but to keep one’s soul at rest across all times—whether in abundance or in want, in glory or in disgrace—is the mark of higher virtue. The restless heart complains when God moves it from comfort to hardship, from one calling to another. But the heart that abides in peace accepts all things as from His hand, seeing His presence equally in the splendor of a cathedral and the dust of a wilderness road. Such a heart becomes a true instrument of the divine, pliable and ready, like clay in the potter’s grasp.

This wisdom is not only for saints and monks, but for all who walk the earth. Consider the man or woman who loses their work, or whose plans collapse like sandcastles before the tide. If their peace is tied only to success in one place, despair will consume them. But if their peace rests in God Himself, they will find Him even in loss, and their soul will remain steadfast. Such a person becomes like a tree planted by rivers of water: no drought can wither them, for their roots draw from a deeper source.

The lesson for us is this: do not let your peace be chained to one place, one task, or one season of life. Cultivate a heart that is quiet and steady, welcoming the Lord whether He leads you to fields of plenty or deserts of want. In prayer, practice stillness. In labor, remember His presence. In sorrow, cling to His grace. This is how the soul grows in higher virtue and becomes able to rejoice in Him everywhere.

Practically, let each person begin with small acts. At dawn, before the noise of the world awakens, sit in silence and ask the Lord to steady your heart. When troubles rise, pause and breathe, reminding yourself that peace is not found in the absence of storms, but in the presence of God within them. And when joys come, do not clutch them as idols, but hold them lightly, giving thanks. In this way, day by day, the soul learns to enjoy the Lord in “different times and different places,” and becomes unshaken by the tides of change.

Thus, Saint Ignatius’s words shine like a lamp for the generations: keep your soul always in peace and quiet, ready for the Lord’s work, in all places and at all times. For in such readiness lies freedom, in such peace lies strength, and in such grace lies the secret of a life fully surrendered to the Eternal.