For the Greater Glory of God: A Retreat Guide on St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. John Paul II observed that for people of faith there are no coincidences, only aspects of God’s providence that we have not yet fully understood. Another way of putting it is to say that there are no coincidences, only God-incidences. Among these God-incidences, one of the most remarkable is the story of St. Ignatius Loyola. For the world would be very different indeed if a cannonball had not struck him at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, shattering his leg and confining him to bed for the next 6 months. During his convalescence, the young Spaniard had ample time to reflect about the meaning of his life, about time and eternity, and, above all, about God. And more than his leg was healed. By the time he recovered he had decided to live no longer for himself, but for God, and the echoes of his choice appear in the motto forever associated with his name: “For the Greater Glory of God.”