{"id":676,"date":"2012-07-28T06:19:52","date_gmt":"2012-07-28T06:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=676"},"modified":"2012-08-07T23:27:41","modified_gmt":"2012-08-07T23:27:41","slug":"a-call-to-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2012\/07\/28\/a-call-to-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"A Call To Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

In June 1521, a young man from northern Spain (his name is I\u00f1igo), finds himself severely wounded and in bed. He is 26 years old. Mortified by his defeat inPamplona in his first serious war action, he is confronting, for the first time in his life, the possibility of dying. He reads and prays, he gets ready, but instead he recovers a few months later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Journey<\/p><\/div>\n

Transformed by his near death experience, I\u00f1igo leaves the comfort of his family and his military career and embarks on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Like in a vision quest, he wants to find God and his true self, but in his journey he encounters mendicants, thieves, soldiers, and the poor. This is el camino\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0 and, at every step, he faces the great unknown. Near Barcelona, in a cave, after a period of fasting and praying, he receives the gift of the Spiritual Exercises. Upon arrival to Jerusalem, unable to stay, he finally settles down in Rome. It is there where he finally decides to create the Society of Jesus, and implement the Exercises to reform Christianity, find a more authentic way of living the faith, and bring social justice to the world. I\u00f1igo is 48 years old. He would be known as Saint Ignatius after1609 when he is canonized. His vision for the Jesuits would transform the world forever.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Molly’s Vision by John Stephens<\/p><\/div>\n

In her last post, Diane Dreher reminded us that the hero\u2019s journey is that of \u201cthe courageous individual who leaves the known world for the great unknown, returning with a treasure to share with the larger community.\u201d\u00a0When I look at Saint Ignatius\u2019 whole life I remind myself that what seems to be a miracle, a perfectly planned, extraordinary achievement, was filled with challenges and\u00a0disappointments. I believe miracles are the things that happen within the boundaries of our ordinary life when we say \u201cyes\u201d to the call for adventure. Heroes are introduced in the ordinary world and then receive the call to adventure. We are being called to immerse ourselves in the mystery of our lives, in the “cloud of unknowing.” There are no tracks. The path is the miracle, and facing the great unknown the only guide to the treasure. Take a few moments now to reflect on this call.<\/p>\n