The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius remain an abiding source of inspiration and wisdom for Christians in the modern day who wish to be closer oriented to God and his Kingdom. Ignatius of Loyola was initially a Spanish page in service of a knight, who later became a knight himself. Ambitious and eager for fame and glory, Loyola was gravely injured when a cannonball collided with his legs, leaving his left leg multiple fractures. The surgery of the time was crude; he would walk again, but with a permanent, pronounced limp. As he lay convalescing, Loyola experienced a series of visions. Being as the hospitals of the era were run by religious orders he spent weeks bedridden, reading the many texts concerning Jesus Christ and the saints. This experience buoyed and inspired Loyola to lead his life in the same fashion as the heroic saints; living to spread the holy word and undertake great pilgrimages.