The broken leg was not properly set. The bone protruded in a way that would show through the tight hose that a courtier wore, "so much as to be something ugly. Gradually, he began to reflect on these experiences; he noticed what was going on within. Both kinds of daydreams engaged him completely, but after the romantic chivalry dreaming was over, he felt empty and dissatisfied, whereas after the spiritual dreaming ended, he still felt a deep peace, a quiet happiness. From experience he knew that some thoughts left him sad while others made him happy, and little by little he came to perceive the different spirits that were moving him Here we see the beginning of his powers of discernment , of decision making.
He realized God was leading him by his feelings, drawing him toward an entirely new way of life. Then, in an all-night vigil before the Black Madonna in the church of the Benedictine abbey there, he hung up his sword and dagger. Effectively, his old life was over and his new life had begun. Barcelona was the port from which to embark on a passage to Rome and then to the Holy Land. Not wanting to see his old friends, who might be in conflict with his new values, he went instead to the nearby town of Manresa with the intention of staying there a few days.
But those "few days" turned into ten months. The "Pilgrim," as he referred to himself in his autobiography, asked for lodging at a hospital for the poor located outside the town's walls.
In exchange for his bed, he did chores around the hospital; and he begged for his food in the town. As we see him here, he spent much of his time in a cave, in prayer with God -praying as much as seven hours a day. He was blessed with powerful insights into himself and about who God was for him.
Still, for extended periods, he experienced doubts, anxieties, scruples, severe depression; he even contemplated suicide to end his psychic pain. He recorded his experiences in a notebook and would soon find his jottings helpful in guiding others. These notes which he continued to revise and expand over time as he listened to people became his Spiritual Exercises.
Eventually, they were published and then reprinted again and again and translated into many languages as they spread around the world. An example of a spiritual exercise might be to reflect on the ways you have been loved, or on what your personal gifts are and how you use them and for whom, or to imagine yourself present in one of the gospel scenes-for example, Jesus' feeding of the 5, Today, nearly years later, Jesuits and other priests and sisters and brothers, and an ever larger number of professional men and women use these Spiritual Exercises to guide others toward spiritual transformation, to a deeper relationship with God.
The Pilgrim did manage to beg passage on a ship to the Holy Land. But instead of being able to fulfill his great dream to remain there for the rest of his life, trying to convert the so-called "infidel," he was told by church authorities to return to Europe after only a few weeks.
They had enough trouble there without him and his conversion scheme. When it came time for him to set sail and head back to the western Mediterranean, he ran back to the Mount of Olives to see which way the "footprint of Jesus " was facing. Pious legend had it that the mark in a certain rock there was left by Jesus as he ascended into heaven. Now what may interest us here is not the historical credibility of the legend, but rather what this action of the Pilgrim tells us about his own inner life, his imaginative life.
He was in the habit of entering imaginatively into all the various gospel stories and scenes, and, in this way, he made them very concrete and real and immediate to himself.
He wanted to be in an intimate relationship with Jesus , and every detail about Jesus was precious to him. He decided that he needed to get an education in order to "help souls.
This meant that beginning at the age of 33 and for two years, he was studying Latin grammar and other basics with classmates who were 8 to 14 years old.
He may have felt some discomfort at the age difference, but it was at this time that he had the "most beloved" teacher in his entire academic career-Master Jeronimo Ardevol. In both places, he spent nearly as much time engaging people in conversation about spiritual matters as he did studying and attending lectures. Such conversations got him into trouble with the Spanish Inquisition and he was put in prison three times for interrogation.
The charge was always the same: that he dared to speak of theological matters when he did not have a theology degree. Ignatius Loyola was born in , one of 13 children of a family of minor nobility in northern Spain. As a young man Ignatius Loyola was inflamed by the ideals of courtly love and knighthood and dreamed of doing great deeds. But in Ignatius was gravely wounded in a battle with the French. While recuperating, Ignatius Loyola experienced a conversion.
Reading the lives of Jesus and the saints made Ignatius happy and aroused desires to do great things. Over the years, Ignatius became expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his insights, prayers, and suggestions in his book the Spiritual Exercises , one of the most influential books on the spiritual life ever written. David L. Who Was St.
Features a commentary by Richard Leonard, SJ. Life of Ignatius Loyola An outline of the life of Ignatius, organized around important dates in his life. A rough translation from German. Ignatius of Loyola Video Video introduction to St. Ignatius Loyola, produced by the Apostleship of Prayer for his feast day. Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Imitator of Christ, Discusses the early years of the Society of Jesus and its contribution to world missions and the Council of Trent. Gives important highlights of the Constitutions.
An animation based on the life of the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Catechist and spiritual director Bob Burnham glimpses into the gifts charisms of the saints and offers quick lessons that can easily be applied to our own lives, helping us become saints ourselves. Who is Ignatius of Loyola? The Olive. Little Lessons from the Saints.
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