This year’s celebration of the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is more special to me than ever before. It was just a few months ago that I had the privilege of going on pilgrimage to Spain and Rome to follow in his footsteps with many of my Loyola Press colleagues! Of the many highlights of this trip, I’d have to say that the most moving was being in the spot where Ignatius spent month after month recovering from the cannonball injury to his knee. This event not only shattered his knee, it shattered his life and his dreams. Painful as the experience was for him on so many levels, it also served as the springboard for his conversion: from death comes new life. May each of us pay closer attention to the “cannonball” experiences in our lives, pray for the grace to grow in faith and let go of our past, and discover new life waiting for us in the Lord’s service!
Here I am standing next to a statue of St. Ignatius in the town of Loyola, where Ignatius experienced his conversion after being wounded in battle.
Prayer/Guided Reflections
The Daily Examen – Learn By Doing
From time to time here on my blog, you’ve noticed me talking about the Daily Examen, a form of prayer promoted by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Now you have a great opportunity to learn how to pray the Examen by praying the Examen! Jim Manney, author of A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer, is offering an opportunity to experience the Examen online as he leads you step-by-step so that you can learn how to pray this way on […]
Approaches/Techniques
The Ignatian Key to Opening Doors of Faith – or – Going Contagious with Ignatius!
The theme for Catechetical Sunday (September 15, 2013) this year is… It just so happens that St. Ignatius of Loyola holds the key to unlock and open the “Door of Faith!” St. Ignatius taught that the most effective way to persuade someone to your way of thinking is to “enter through their door but be sure to leave through your door.” What he means by this is that we need to make a connection between […]
Ignatian Spirituality
Chance Encounter Leads to St. Ignatius of Loyola
Ten years ago, I really didn’t know anything about St. Ignatius of Loyola, nor of the Jesuit order, which he founded. A chance encounter with a Jesuit priest changed that for me, and since that dinner conversation, I’ve incorporated Ignatian spirituality into my daily life. I met Fr. George Lane, SJ, who was then the president of Loyola Press, during my first training as a ministry consultant. By chance, Fr. Lane sat next to me […]
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