By Father Joseph Tylenda S.J.
Some three years before his death in 1556 Ignatius of Loyola succumbed to the persistent requests of his spiritual sons to leave the Order a written account of his adventures in grace. As dictation was less laborious and time consuming the Founder General of the Society of Jesus gave the task of composition to a very devoted disciple, Father Luis Goncalves Da Camara. Throughout his recollections the saint refers to himself simply as "the pilgrim." The narration begins with the story of the soldier's conversion as he was laid up in convalescence from the effects of a French cannonball blast which had shattered one of his legs during a battle for Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It ends with the story of the Society's early apostolate in Rome at the service of the Pope. The great value of this autobiography lies not so much in the fascinating details of Ignatius' formative years, rather it is in the spiritual pilgrimage, the invisible warfare, that this man of combat fought to subdue his own vanity and the onslaughts of "the powers of this air, "the spirits of wickedness. Along with the most tender consolations of grace, including raptures and visions, the future general and master of the spiritual life had to endure a dark night of the soul that left him on the verge of suicide. An ample supply of footnote commentaries by Joseph Tylenda, S.J. provide a most excellent historical corroboration to the text.
Some three years before his death in 1556 Ignatius of Loyola succumbed to the persistent requests of his spiritual sons to leave the Order a written account of his adventures in grace. As dictation was less laborious and time consuming the Founder General of the Society of Jesus gave the task of composition to a very devoted disciple, Father Luis Goncalves Da Camara. Throughout his recollections the saint refers to himself simply as "the pilgrim." The narration begins with the story of the soldier's conversion as he was laid up in convalescence from the effects of a French cannonball blast which had shattered one of his legs during a battle for Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It ends with the story of the Society's early apostolate in Rome at the service of the Pope. The great value of this autobiography lies not so much in the fascinating details of Ignatius' formative years, rather it is in the spiritual pilgrimage, the invisible warfare, that this man of combat fought to subdue his own vanity and the onslaughts of "the powers of this air, "the spirits of wickedness. Along with the most tender consolations of grace, including raptures and visions, the future general and master of the spiritual life had to endure a dark night of the soul that left him on the verge of suicide. An ample supply of footnote commentaries by Joseph Tylenda, S.J. provide a most excellent historical corroboration to the text.
Softcover, 204 pages
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