Holy Desires

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irst point: Desires in the Life of St Ignatius of Loyola

Jerome Nadal, one of Ignatius’ earliest companions, once remarked that “God chose Ignatius to found the Society of Jesus not because of his virtue, but because of his character—a man of great energy and magnanimity who never admitted defeat in battle.” Nadal’s insight captures the secret fire that burned in Ignatius: a man moved by great desires.

From his youth, Ignatius was a man who felt deeply and acted decisively. His imagination and passions were fierce—always drawn toward greatness, even when that greatness was still “vain and worldly.” He once confessed that before his conversion, “I was carried away by a great and foolish desire to win fame.” That same desire for glory would later be purified and redirected toward “the greater glory of God.”

When a cannonball shattered his leg at Pamplona, Ignatius found himself immobilized—but not his heart. In the long silence of recovery at Loyola, God began to educate his desires. As he read the lives of Christ and the saints, he noticed a stirring within him: “When I thought of the worldly things, I found much delight; but when I thought of imitating the saints, I found joy that lasted.” It was not guilt that converted him, but a stronger desire, a yearning “to do what St Dominic and St Francis had done.”

Ignatius would later exhort his companions, “Let us conceive great resolutions and elicit great desires.” These words were not mere counsel—they were his own story. No desire for the praise and honor of God was too great for him. When he felt moved to imitate the saints, he resolved without hesitation to journey to Jerusalem. When he desired to serve souls, he did not shrink from the years of study it required, though he was already thirty-five.

Ignatius teaches us that grace does not erase desire — it redeems it. His life shows that God works not by extinguishing human longing, but by purifying it, transforming restless ambition into holy zeal.

Second point: A Man of Foolish Desires and Disordered Wants

Herod too, like Ignatius, was a man of great and foolish desires. Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great—meaning his father was much greater in his desires. All the grand buildings and structures that we see today in Jerusalem are thanks to Herod the Great. Because of him, the Temple stood in splendor, even though it now lies in ruins. His legacy remains in the Western Wall, the fortress of Masada (the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army), the desert palace of Herodium, and the port city of Caesarea Maritima. These landmarks remind us that even those who do not walk in God’s ways can still play a role in salvation history.

But the Gospels also speak of another Herod. Unlike his father the builder, Antipas is remembered as weak, insecure, and fearful. He ordered the death of John the Baptist and later “wanted to kill Jesus.”

Edward Kinerk SJ, said that “fears can be thought of as desires with a negative pole.” He explained that a person could be paralyzed by desiring an object and fearing it at the same time. Such was the case of Herod. He was respectful of John the Baptist at first, but he did not listen to the desire of his conscience which was not yet a deep desire. Because of that, he acted under the influence of the evil spirit, which gave him a calculating mind—cold, political, and self-protective.It comes from fear, not freedom. It is possessive: wanting control, wanting power, wanting to silence a threat.

It is self-referential: Herod’s will is centered on himself, not on the good of others. In Ignatian language, this is a disordered want—the will turned inward, enslaved by insecurity and ego.

Herod’s “want” is therefore not life-giving. It is a will without love, a decision without compassion.

Third point: Holy Desires

Every day in the 8-day or 30-day retreats would be impossible to go through without desires. Desires are energies or passions, and they are the drivers of the spiritual life. But we must navigate the spiritual world with the guidance of the Good Spirit, using the discernment of spirits taught by St Ignatius. It is like a spiritual warfare; we must take care not to fall into the traps of the evil spirit.

We can say that the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius is a school of great desires—but a more accurate term would be holy desires. All the saints and martyrs are men and women of holy desires.

In Annotation 5, St Ignatius writes:“ The persons who make the Exercises will benefit greatly by entering upon them with great spirit and generosity toward their Creator and Lord.” “With great spirit” is another way of saying “with holy desires” (con grande animo).

Before we end, allow me to speak once more about holy desire—what St Ignatius would also call authentic desire. Edward Kinerk SJ, says that “the more authentic our desires, the more they move us to glorify God.”

We may experience our hearts being pulled in opposite directions. But Jesus, in our Gospel, chose to listen to his authentic desire: “How many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood…”

Jesus’ yearning is the language of divine desire.It arises from the heart, not the calculating will. It is self-giving, not possessive — wanting to gather, not to grasp. It flows from compassion, not control. His yearning is patient, tender, and maternal — like a hen sheltering her young.

This is what Ignatius would call a holy desire, or deseo — the movement of the Spirit drawing us toward love, even when the will resists or reality refuses. Jesus yearns for communion, even knowing he will be rejected. Which of my desires come from God, and which are only shallow wants? How can I listen more closely to God’s longing within my heart? Fr JM Manzano SJ