Let me introduce you to someone who may be able to help you along in your journey.

But, first, a word or two about companions. 

I don’t really enjoy traveling alone.  The past few days I have been away from home, on my own.  I drove from my home near Denver, to the Denver Airport.  Then I flew from Denver to St. Louis.  Once in St. Louis I rented a car, and drove a few hours over to the middle of Illinois.  Once I was there I didn’t have to be alone anymore, and I got to see some old friends, and even made a few new friends,  But, for the most part I was alone.  And now I am back in St. Louis, alone again.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy solitude - I am an introvert.  If I am around people all of the time I get a little grumpy.  But, I don’t really enjoy going somewhere on my own - I prefer to have companions.

My favorite companion is my wife, Donna.  She is insightful, funny, easy to talk to, and wise.  I trust her with my heart, and she speaks gently into my life.  There are others in my life that I would also call companions.  We are on a journey together.  Our specific destinations may differ slightly, but we are on the same trajectory.  We are moving in the general direction of wholeness.

I have other companions that speak into my life from a distance - some distanced by geography, and some by history. 

Enter Iñigo López.

Iñigo was born the youngest of 13 children, on Christmas Eve, in 1491, in Spain, at the Castle of Loyola.

When he was 26 years old he took up service in the army of Spain.  A few years later he found himself General of a battalion, defending the town of Pamplona against expelled spanish rebels.  Iñigo was severely injured (cannonball to the leg) and was returned to his home, the Castle at Loyola, to recover.

He asked for some reading material to pass the time while he recovered from his injury.  He was given the only texts available in the castle:

        Life of Christ and Lives of the Saints.

On his sickbed Iñigo was transformed from a soldier to a pilgrim.  As he read the stories about Jesus, he deeply absorbed the conversations and settings described by the Gospel writers.  While he read, Iñigo began to imaginatively place himself as a part of the stories.  He became the woman at the well, and conversed with Jesus at the temple.  As he daydreamed, he was a participant in scene after scene as the events of the Life of Christ became very real to him.  His imaginative prayer times evolved into a contemplative practice that is alive and well today.

Iñigo is commonly known today as St. Ignatius of Loyola. He, along with St. Francis Xavier (and 5 other brothers) founded the Society of Jesus.  These men were the first 7 Jesuit Priests - establishing an order that lives on today in some of the finest educational institutions in the world.

One of the most useful tools Ignatius left with us is his Prayer of Examen.  Many believers use the Examen to begin and end their day.  It involves 5 areas of thought and prayer that may help you to think through your day and become more aware of God’s presence.  Here’s an adapted version that I use:

1. 1. Recall that I am in God’s presence.
   

I can easily forget that God is with me and present throughout my day.  In this moment I want to become keenly aware of His presence.   

2. 2. Review my day with gratitude.
   

Small things come to mind.  Things I would have otherwise forgotten that cause me to recall God’s unique gifts to me and the people around me.

3. 3. Ask for help from the Holy Spirit.
   

I begin with the assumption that God will speak to me about the experiences of my day. I am also assuming that some of it I will be resistant to hear.  So, I ask the Holy Spirit for help in listening for God’s voice.

4. 4. Review my day.
   

I try to think through the events and conversations of my day.  I quietly try to listen as i discern my own motives and feelings that surfaced in various interactions.

5.  Reconcile and Resolve.

This is when I seek God’s forgiveness concerning my day.  I may also need to have a conversation to right a wrong, or ask for someone’s forgiveness, or express gratitude to someone that I neglected to thank throughout my day.

As I use this loose adaption of Ignatius’ Prayer of Examen I am aware that my life is linked with his.  Even though our lives are separated by hundreds of years, we are connected by a common aspiration - to know God and to honor Him in the ways we relate to people around us.

So, as I sit in this crowded airport, among hundreds of faces that are unfamiliar to me, I am thankful to be traveling with my trusted companion, Iñigo.