After convalescing from a war injury, St. Ignatius spent some time at the Benedictine Monastery in Montserrat and then went to nearby Manresa, where he took up residence at a hospice for the poor. While there he discovered a small cave in the hills on the outskirts of town. It became his second home; he spent countless hours and even days at a time, withdrawn, secluded, praying. Near the cave was a swift-flowing stream called the River Cardoner, where Igntaius would spend hours by the water, observing nature and starting to see God’s creative hand in everything around him.
I think of Ignatius sometimes when I spend some days hiking, as I am doing this weekend. It is impossible to walk the trails I have been walking without being acutely aware of God’s presence – at the moment of creation and in every moment thereafter. Impossible not to be filled with gratitude at the beauty of God’s handiwork.
Don’t know where you are, but it looks beautiful. It calls out to my soul.