Ignatius (1491-1556) was a professional soldier. (For the record, I live in metro DC, a city full of career soldiers!) When the French military invaded Spain in May 1521, Ignatius and his Spanish comrades fought valiantly to hold a strategic fort. In the ensuing battle, a cannonball shattered Ignatius’ right leg and caused significant damage to his left leg also. During his year-long convalescence, Ignatius was bored and asked for books on knighthood, his lifelong ambition. The only reading materials available in this castle of Loyola were books about Jesus and his followers. In his own words, Ignatius was “a man given to the vanities of the world.” As he read the story of Jesus’ life, a change came over him. He opened his life to Christ, quit the military and became a soldier in the Lord’s army. It took a cannonball to alter the trajectory of his life. He became a missionary throughout France, Spain, and Italy, sharing the good news of Jesus. Others joined him who became identified as the Society of Jesus, known today as Jesuits.
Ignatius compiled Spiritual Exercises to teach various Christian practices for this intriguing band of early missionaries. Prayer is a practice that features prominently in his writing. Jesus spoke about the debilitating impact of worry in his Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6.25-34). As you read Ignatius’ prayer, offer to God whatever makes you anxious today: