In a world where scrolling is endless and notifications compete with silence, the figure of Saint Ignatius of Loyola emerges as a highly relevant teacher. He is not only the founder of the Jesuits, but also a coach of the heart, a spiritual coach avant la lettre, who can illuminate the lives of today’s young people, communicators, influencers, and seekers.

The Deep Desire: The Ignatian Spark

Ignatius doesn’t begin with rules or commandments. He begins with desire. “Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and through this to save his soul,” he writes in the Spiritual Exercises. This isn’t a closed approach, but rather an invitation to freedom. The first thing to do is to ask yourself:  what am I truly seeking?  In digital noise, this question is more vital than ever.

The young people who participated in the Jubilee in Rome this month, like the communicators convened by Pope Leo XIV, feel this need: to discover who they are, why they are here, and how to live with purpose. Saint Ignatius teaches us to read the movements of the soul, to distinguish the voice of God from the noise of ego, fear, or vanity.

Influencers with soul: discern, decide, act

Ignatius spoke of “discerning spirits.” Today we might say: learning to filter not only content, but also thoughts, motivations, and paths. For those who live in the digital realm, this wisdom is key. An Ignatian influencer is not someone who accumulates followers, but someone who leads them to what is essential, to what is true, to what is good.

In a recent message to Catholic communicators, Pope Leo XIV exhorted them to be “agents of communion, not merely transmitters of information.” Ignatius would add:  Don’t be led by the former. Examine. Ask. Pray. Decide in peace.

Walking with Jesus in everyday life

Another Ignatian key is the personal encounter with Christ. Not with a concept, but with a living person who walks with you. In the  Exercises, Ignatius invites us to imagine, contemplate, and speak with Jesus “as a friend speaks with another friend.” This is an incarnated, close, and joyful faith.

In Rome, young people have rediscovered that Jesus is not only in churches, but also in social networks, in friendship, in decisions, in creativity, in service. Ignatius would encourage them:  Don’t be afraid to dream big. If God is for you, who can be against you?

A world to be transformed… from within

Ignatian spirituality is neither intimate nor evasive. It is profoundly transformative. It invites us to “find God in all things” and to serve “in all things, to love and serve.” From the classroom to the studio, from TikTok to a parish, everything is a place of mission if there is discernment and love.

In times of superficiality, Saint Ignatius teaches depth. In times of dispersion, he teaches focus. In times of anxiety, he teaches peace.

A saint for this generation

Saint Ignatius didn’t speak of algorithms, but he did speak of inner freedom. He didn’t know about social media, but he did know about the networks of the human heart. Today, in the midst of the Jubilee of Catholic youth and communicators, his message is more relevant than ever:  Dare to look within. Listen. Choose the best. And do it with all your heart.

Do you want to go deeper? Take a moment to be silent. Ask yourself honestly:

What moves me inside? What gives me peace? Where do I feel God?

Saint Ignatius would tell you: that’s where it all begins.