St. Ignatius wasn’t looking for a vision.
By the time Ignatius of Loyola sat beside the River Cardoner, outside the small Spanish town of Manresa, he had already left behind the life of a soldier. He had laid down his sword, traded his noble clothes for a beggar’s rags, and thrown himself into a life of penance.
But penance hadn’t brought peace. In fact, months of harsh fasting, isolation, and scrupulosity had left him exhausted, spiritually and physically.
That day by the river, something changed.
Ignatius later described it this way: as he sat and looked out at the water, a deep understanding came over him—not a vision, not a voice, but an interior clarity that reshaped how he saw everything.
“The eyes of his understanding were opened… not that he saw any vision, but he understood and knew many things, spiritual things… with so great an enlightenment that everything appeared to him in a new light.” (Autobiography, §30)
It was a moment of grace that would mark the true beginning of his mission.
The God he encountered at the Cardoner was not distant or demanding, but near, generous, and intimate. The clarity he received by that river would guide him for the rest of his life, and later form the heart of his Spiritual Exercises, the discernment method that would shape Jesuits and countless others for centuries.
What happened that day didn’t look like much. But for Ignatius, it was the day the world changed.
It was the day everything looked new.
Today is the feast of St. Ignatius and the perfect time to dive deeper into his profound spirituality.
Want to go deeper into the spirituality that changed St. Ignatius—and the world?
Explore The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius—a timeless guide for prayer, reflection, and discernment rooted in his own journey of transformation. A must-have for any Catholic seeking clarity, purpose, and a deeper relationship with Christ.
