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:
Ignatius of Loyola
O Christ Jesus, When all is darkness
And we feel our weakness and helplessness,
Give us the sense of Your Presence,
Your love and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust.
In Your protecting love
And strengthening power,
So that nothing may frighten or worry us.
For, living so close to you,
We shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will, through all things.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.