By Br Ken Vance SJ
Some years ago, I was privileged to make my annual retreat in Manresa, Spain. This large Jesuit residence is built above and around the cave in which St Ignatius of Loyola spent many hours in contemplation whilst writing his Spiritual Exercises.
My stay coincided with the completion of renovations to the shrine, and the adjoining church, in preparation for the 500th anniversary of Ignatius conversion following his hit by a canon ball at the Battle of Pamplona on May 20th 1522.
Along with these major renovations, the small museum attached to the complex was upgraded and the Jesuit superior asked if I would help to ensure that the English translations of the exhibits’ captions were intelligible.
The objects which stumped us both was the correct English name for Ignatius’s woven footwear. We finally decided on a word which is common to both countries, ‘espadrilles’.
These small espadrilles fascinated me and set the tone for the rest of my retreat. The old adage of not being able to understand another person unless you have walked in their shoes took on a whole new meaning. When did Ignatius wear these shoes and where did he go in them?
We know that Ignatius was quite a traveller, venturing to Paris, Venice, Rome and even to London to beg for alms. Yet many of these journeys ended in failure.
In Paris he made three attempts to gather a group around him. Having suffered a period of ill health, he moved back to Spain, then Bologna, and finally to Venice.
Here he set sail for the Holy Land, only to be ordered back home by the Franciscans, who were in charge of the Holy Places and looked on him as a dangerous fanatic. If only those espadrilles could talk!
With all these obstacles hindering his progress it would have been easy for Ignatius to give up hope. However, the time he spent in the cave of Manresa gave him a firm foundation to tackle the many hurdles yet to come.
The ambitions of Ignatius’ early days slowly matured into his fundamental belief that we ought to desire and choose only that which is results to the end for which we are created – to praise reverence and serve God through serving other human beings.
St Ignatius, pray for us
Image: St Ignatius of Loyola by artist George Rands
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