While no one is sure of what day St. Ignatius was born, some sources place it on October 23, 1491.
During Ignatius’s birthday week, we’re hosting a surprise party with a twist—instead of surprising the honoree, let’s notice God’s surprises all around us and find God in those moments as Ignatius taught us to do.
When has God surprised you? Share your story in the comments below, or on social media with the hashtags #IgnatianYear and #Ignatius500.
Having trouble thinking of a surprise from God? Need to be inspired? Watch the following video of a “Prayer to Notice God’s Surprises” by Rebecca Ruiz.
Learn more about St. Ignatius in The Pilgrim’s Story by Brendan Comerford, SJ, or Just Call Me López by Margaret Silf.
Happy Birthday. Praise be the Giver of life who gave Inigo to the world.
God is full of little,daily surprises. This morning, very early, I open the door to let my cat out, it was still dark and I stepped out and looked up at the sky. To my surprise the constellation Orion was right overhead as bright and clear as I had ever seen it. The Orion Nebula was obvious and something I had never seen before, a faint cluster of stars that made a cap for the hunter. Wow, I didn’t know Orion had a cap! It was such a lovely gift to start the day.
I was enveloped by the Holy Spirit, directed by God, on the morning of December 18th 2014. He showed me the path He had established for my life up to that point. All of the pieces came together and I clearly understood how I got to where I was. His presence was wonderful but the gift of letting me see how he guided me to where I am resulted in authentic joy and comfort… I knew he had me going forward. I began to cry and then picked up my computer and wrote every word that came to me, non stop, over a 4 hour period. I felt I was “floating” and believe He wants me to share my story to help others to believe first, and then they will see.