This past summer I was attending a workshop, where we reflected on the story of Ignatius’s cannonball injury, convalescence, and conversion. The basic story was familiar to me, but in this retelling there was a detail that stuck out to me, one that I have thought about off and on in the months after the workshop. I knew that Ignatius read two books while he was laid up – one on the life of Jesus and another on the lives of the saints – but I had never heard that the books were given to him by his sister-in-law, Magdalena de Araoz. During our group reflection I imagined this woman pulling the two books off a shelf, taking them to Ignatius’s room, and handing them to him. I reflected on how the Jesuit tradition we treasure turned on this small gesture by Magdalena, and my mind jumped to another Magdalena – Mary Magdalena – whose first singular witness to the resurrection was the turning point in our Christian tradition (John 20:18). Together these Magdalenas led me to gratitude for the way that small moments and gestures can play pivotal roles in our relationship with God.
Magdalena’s role in Ignatius’s conversion is helpful for me, because I sometimes have trouble mapping the cannonball story on to my own spiritual biography. Several key parts of the story are outside my personal experience. I have never been struck by a cannonball, and thankfully, I have never had to endure a long convalescence. I have also never had a conversion experience that I would describe as a “cannonball moment.” My own growth in relationship with God has been incremental – two steps forward, one step back; encountering God’s presence in my life in a new way because of changes in my life.
In my journey, however, there have been countless Magdalenas whose small gestures brought me closer to God in ways they could never have imagined. For example, when my confirmation sponsor gave me Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case and Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer as a confirmation gift, he could not have known how influential those authors would become in my life because of his introduction. Even smaller gestures have been equally significant: a kind word during a difficult time, a spontaneous invitation to a prayer service, a homily that struck a chord, a student paper that hit home, etc.
In this Ignatian Year, as we celebrate all the wonderful fruits of Ignatius’s charism, intellect, and spirituality, let us also take time to remember the small but pivotal role Magdalena de Araoz played in his life. And in doing so, let us also reflect on the small gestures by Magdalenas in our lives, and let us pray that our own small gestures will likewise lead others to deeper relationship with God.