Last Thursday, on May 20, and continuing until July 31, 2022, the Society of Jesus worldwide and the entire Ignatian family will celebrate the spiritual journey of St. Ignatius of Loyola from the 500th anniversary of the event in 1521 that led to his conversion and ultimately to his canonization as a Catholic saint in 1622.
On May 20, 1521, in a battle at the Spanish town of Pamplona, a cannon ball broke one leg of Iñigo López de Loyola and severely wounded his other leg. With this terrible injury, Iñigo hit the bottom of what had been already a very difficult journey through life. At 26 years old, he had lost his mother when he was young, perhaps even shortly after his birth. His dad also died during Iñigo’s childhood. One of his brothers died in war. Another brother journeyed to America and never returned back to Spain. He was raised by another brother and his wife. Since boyhood, he had served as a knight and court member to a Spanish aristocrat who had lost his standing with the king, so Iñigo has no idea what his future would hold for him. His future did not look good at the time of his battle injury.
Iñigo’s conversion took place during his long recovery from his injuries. During that time, he read about the lives of the saints like St Francis of Assisi and St Dominic. He read about the life of Christ. After his conversion, Iñigo’s dreams were no longer a life as a knight and victory in battle, but rather serving Christ and the Church. He would devote himself to the Church, changing his Basque name of Iñigo to the Latin name Ignatius. He and his group of friends would be the founders of the religious congregation of the Society of Jesus, known to the world as the Jesuits. Today, this is the largest religious order of Catholic priests in the world. Ignatius and the Jesuits have had a big impact in my own spiritual life, as I prayed the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola at the place of his birth in the Basque country of northern Spain for an entire month in the summer of 2019.
The conversion of Ignatius did not happen instantly following his fall in battle in Pamplona on May 20, 1521. However, this injury in battle set in motion a new course for his life. It turned his life upside down. It led him into a time self-examination, transformation, and conversion. Out of this spiritual awakening, Ignatius had a burning desire for holiness and a zeal to do great things for God. This led him to a process of self-surrender.
I encourage all of you to watch the video of St Ignatius’ life on the FORMED website.
Also, here is a short video produced by the Jesuits about the cannonball incident that led to the conversion of St Ignatius of Loyola. Blessings to all of you. Have a wonderful week.
Father Lincoln
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUDb4uhvb_w
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