“For it is not knowing much, but realising and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.”
~St. Ignatius of Loyola
Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
This Friday, August 28th we are delighted to welcome Wisdom Council member Dena Jennings who will lead us in a retreat on Ignatian Contemplation—a means of seeking deeper understanding of the scriptures through our senses. Dena offers this reflection.
Imagine that you are in the stories of the Gospels— not reading or hearing the Gospels, but actually imagine yourself in the stories. As the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from his birth to his ascension, unfold in words on the pages, your mind begins to wander. Feel the thirst of the wedding guests who hear that there may not be enough wine. Perhaps you feel straight through the fur on your back the warm body of Mary as you carry her and the Holy Family’s worldly goods to Bethlehem. The imagination draws us close as we read and hear the stories of Jesus’ ministry. Creativity is one way we encounter the Divine after which we were fashioned. Young and promising soldier Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola discovered this as his broken body lay healing after he was wounded in battle during the Italian War of 1521–1526 in which a Franco-Navarrese army restored Pamplona from a The Crown Castile (Spain).
Imagine that you have been a part of the troops that defeated the citizens in a revolt against The Crown of Castile (Spain). You are of noble birth, a young man that spent time as a page in the royal court. You dream of becoming a knight. And you are a soldier who relishes in wild living, expensive exploits, and revelry like so many of your comrades. You and the troops for which you are captain defeated the citizens of Castile who oppose the fledgling King Charles I after the death of his grandmother, Queen Isabella. The French and the conquered people of Navarre see this as a prime time to recapture the territory of Pamplona that was taken by Spain. As a brave young man and aspiring knight for the Spanish King, Iñigo, captain of the army joined 280 soldiers in Pamplona. He did not imagine there would be 12,000 French and Navarran soldiers alongside the local citizens. He did not imagine the hours of cannon fire that would bombard his men and crush his legs in the loss of The Battle of Pamplona 1521. He did not imagine that his future as a knight of the realm would be dashed in such an immediate and unexpected way.
Spain and the Catholic Reformation that happened simultaneously with the Protestant Reformation did not offer much of an option in the early years of the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) to choose to stand against the Catholic Church. Queen Isabella of the Crown of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragorn were a power couple with wealth and influence. They purged the land of Moors and Jews under the threat of conversion to Christianity by force, death or expulsion. Yet, the people of Spain were hungry for a moving of the Holy Spirit. The focus of the congregations was moving from the Nave to the neighborhoods as people began to serve one another in a new way. Whether in cloistered living or in towns, the Christians of Spain were awakening to something more than submission to an earthly realm.
This is the Spain that young Iñigo encountered on the bed of recovery after realizing his journey to knighthood was over. He turned to reading as means to escape his confinement. Yet, he lost interest in the salacious texts that used to bring him joy. He found peace in the Gospels imagining himself in the Holy Land with the disciples and Jesus. It is in this new light of Love that he found solace. Once he was well enough, Iñigo began a pilgrimage and planned to stay overnight in Manresa. He stayed there for years developing his Spiritual Practices including Ignatian Contemplation. Somewhere along the journey, Iñigo changed his name to Ignatius of Loyola to make it easier for those he encountered.
Ignatius became a priest in the Catholic Church. Drawing on the teaching of the Desert Elders of the 4th century and the monastic communities of Europe, he established The Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, in 1534. The Jesuits became known as “God’s soldiers.” And they grew to be a major force in education, global missions and apostolic community.
The Spiritual Practices contained in a book of the same name by St. Ignatius of Loyola is a systems of walking closer to God by a rigorous series of exercises that are still practiced today by Christians around the world. Ignatian Contemplation, imagining yourself in the stories of the Gospels, is a part of that discipline. It is a refreshing way to read the Bible, in particular the stories of Jesus’s ministry as described in the Gospels through a sequence of steps:
- Set the scene
- Experience the scene with all of your senses
- Set yourself in the story
- Talk with Jesus about the experience
Close the time of reflection by resting in silence followed by a prayer. These are the steps of Ignatius Contemplation. They are a part of the larger discipline of Spiritual Practices and an accessible tool shared with us by way of the recovery bed of an aspiring knight who converted to a life steeped in Christ’s love.
You are invited to bring your imagination and hunger for a deeper connection with the divine this Friday and explore the rich practice of Ignatian Contemplation.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
P.S. There’s still time to join our 2026-2027 Sustainers Circle. If you are able to help us support and sustain the Abbey’s work—especially our free resources like our prayer cycles, our Lift Every Voice book club, and the many partial and full scholarships we offer to maintain full financial access—please consider joining our Sustainers Circle for 2026-2027.
