When Ignatius of Loyola was wounded by a cannonball in Pamplona in 1521 the course of his life shifted in unexpected ways. As previous stops along our pilgrimage have reminded us, the events at Pamplona, the “cannonball moment,” led Ignatius to live a life in imitation of the saints and in search of the greater good. That trajectory was not a given for Ignatius in the initial period after his wounding. His initial desire was to return to his old way of living and he went through significant torment before being opened to new possibilities.

In the art for this month, we see Ignatius in those initial moments, still a soldier and laying wounded next to his compatriots. Ultimately, this was a moment open to a multitude of possibilities. Tony Cortese, Program Director for Ignatian Spirituality, offers several questions that lead us to think about our own moments imbued with potential for momentous change. Occasions of “fortuitous derailment,” according to Dr. Ahmed Amer, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, are opportunities and blessings that don’t fit with our well-laid plans. Yet, as he says in his video reflection, these moments often give us hope for the future for they exist as crucial instances in our past that led us to where we truly belong.  

Dr. Amer’s reflections and Ignaitus’s experience at Pamplona leave us with a recognition that our future is not yet determined. As we seek a community that is more inclusive and just, we can take the time to reflect on the ways that we, communally and individually, have experienced our own fortuitous derailments in the past two years. Rather than clinging to our old ways of understanding and being, hopefully, we can view them as chances to reassess our plans and expectations as a means to opening new possibilities for justice and the greater good. As we chart a path towards a more inclusive community, may we do so with the recognition that until we are all able to flourish none of us will. Let us seek to live not as self-interested aristocrats, but as saints.      

Questions for reflection:

1. Take a moment to reflect about something in your life that you could never have imagined would become as significant to you as it is now. How do you feel about that?
2. Like Ignatius and like Dr. Amer, have you had any "fortuitous derailments" or "cannonballs" in your life? Take a moment to reflect in gratitude about those moments, even if they were hard at the time.
3. Are you in need of a cannonball-like "wake-up" when it comes to inclusive justice? Have you lost hope or given up? Take a moment to ask for the grace to respond to injustice with freedom and intentionality.