Chap. 5 Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus: Jerusalem
Traveling to the Holy Land was popular back then. These voyages were called “pilgrimages,” and Christians all over the world would go there to see the places where Jesus lived and died. In fact they still do so today. A person making such a trip is referred to as a “pilgrim,” which is exactly how Ignatius thought of himself. He was just a humble pilgrim trying to grow closer to God.
Getting to Jerusalem would not be easy. Traveling on foot was out of the question, especially for a man with an injured leg. The total distance was 3000 miles, so he’d have to go there by sea. Fortunately ships were pretty reliable in 1523 and could take you to almost anywhere in the world, but Jerusalem was an exception. Muslims still controlled the region of Palestine, and Christians were allowed to visit the holy places there only with special permission. Sometimes they were denied. Plus any Christian trying to convert Muslims there could be punished or executed. Ignatius was hoping to make some converts there, at least some day, and he would be risking his life if he tried.
But first he’d have to get there. Traveling to the Holy Land from Spain would have to be done in stages. First Ignatius would have to get to the west coast of Italy, then make his way to Venice on the east coast, then sail to Venice, then to the island of Cyprus, then to the coast of Palestine, and then travel on foot or by donkey to the city of Jerusalem. Step one would be the easiest, and he quickly found a ship leaving for the west coast of Italy in early spring. That was still three months away, which gave him time to make preparations and procure the funds to pay for the voyage. People were quick to help him and offered many donations to pay for his expenses, but Ignatius kept refusing them. He wanted to rely on God alone. Eventually he agreed to take some money, but he immediately took it and left it on a bench for a poor person to find, assuming the man would need it far more than Ignatius did. This was very generous but also very risky because most ship captains would not accept a traveler who couldn’t pay his way.
The three months also gave him time to seek out spiritual people in Barcelona with whom he could talk to about God. This was one of his favorite things to do, and people loved listening to the insights that Ignatius had found, but Ignatius struggled to find someone with new insights who could teach him. Barcelona was a big city, but he only found one person there whom he regarded as spiritually advanced. She was an older woman from Manresa who had become famous for her spiritual wisdom. She had grown famous throughout Spain, and the king even contacted her once for advice. Ignatius loved having conversations with her, and he was deeply moved when she told him she hoped would Jesus appear to him someday.
By March the time for the ship’s departure had arrived, and Ignatius was fortunate to find a captain generous enough to let him on board his vessel for free. They set sail toward Italy, and Ignatius was delighted that his pilgrimage was finally going to happen. Little did he know how eventful his journey would be. The five-day voyage to Italy went smoothly, and he reached a town on the west coast called Gaeta. Three other travelers joined him as he made his way to Rome, which would take about a week on foot. One was a man a bit younger than Ignatius, another was a woman, and the third was the woman’s daughter, but it was hard to tell since her mother disguised her in boy’s clothes so no stranger would come along and harm her. The valiant Ignatius had once dreamed of defending a fair maiden from dastardly villains, and he probably regarded himself as the protector of this woman and her daughter as they walked toward Rome.
As night was approaching, the four of them found a group of soldiers warming themselves by a fire, and they agreed to spend the night there before continuing their journey in the morning. While they were asleep Ignatius woke up to hear screams coming from the other room, and he quickly got up to see what was wrong. The mother and her daughter were shaking in fear, claiming that the soldiers were trying to rape them. Ignatius was furious, and he threatened the men so loudly that everyone in the house could hear him. They were so terrified by his outburst that no one dared come near him, the mother, or her daughter.
The three of them left that night and made it to another town called Fondi, but the gates were locked, so they slept in a church until morning. At sunrise they asked if they could enter, but the townspeople refused since they were under quarantine. The black plague had killed many people in that region, and the townspeople refused to let anyone in since a visitor might bring the disease with them. So the three of them kept walking and eventually found a castle to stay in. The next day the woman and her daughter continued onto Rome, but Ignatius was too exhausted from such a long trip, especially with his limp. He spent two more days there before moving on, and he made it to Rome one week before Easter. He would never meet up with the woman and her daughter again, but they seemed to make their trip safely now, thanks to Ignatius.
This was probably Ignatius’s first visit to Rome, and little did he realize he’d be making several more trips here in the future. Rome was now inundated with pilgrims who had come to celebrate Easter in the holy city and to see the beautiful churches there, especially the massive St. Peter’s Basilica that was under construction. But Ignatius wasn’t interested in any of these things. In order to go the Holy Land he needed official permission from the pope, so he made a request as soon as he arrived. The rest of his time he spent in prayer and in begging, although people kept telling him he’d never find a boat to take him since he didn’t have enough money.
Ignatius received papal permission to visit Jerusalem and departed Rome after two weeks. He made it to Venice without a problem, but for two months he was unable to find a ship that would take him. His plan on relying on God alone seemed very naïve. One day a wealthy Spaniard found Ignatius sleeping in one of the town squares, and he asked him what he was doing in Venice. Ignatius explained to him that he wanted to see the holy places where Jesus lived and died, and the Spaniard invited him to come home with him and stay with his family for a while. Perhaps the man liked Ignatius since they were from the same country, but he really began to like him after listening to him speak about God. The rich man was friends with the Doge of Venice (the chief leader of the city), and he persuaded the Doge to help Ignatius get a spot on the governor’s ship heading to the Holy Land.
The seas were difficult for this voyage, and it took a full month to make it to the island of Cyprus, which was 200 miles off the coast of Palestine. Ignatius almost didn’t make it because he became gravely ill before the ship set sea, but he recovered just in the nick of time. He also made a lot of the sailors upset by criticizing them for what he thought was improper behavior, and they got so angry with him that they nearly threw him overboard. Fortunately things calmed down, and Ignatius and the rest of the passengers made it safely to Cyprus, where they would board another ship and head to the port city of Jaffa in Palestine. This trip took another twelve days, but the wait was worth it. Franciscan monks greeted the passengers as they got off the ship, and everyone was excited to visit the holy sites. They still had another forty miles to go to reach Jerusalem, and the only way to do so was by donkey. A group of Turkish soldiers escorted them to make sure that no one attacked them on the way.
Ignatius had dreamed about coming to Jerusalem for more than two years, and now that the moment had finally arrived, he couldn’t find the words to describe his immense joy. Filled with emotion, the group came upon a large hill on the outskirts of the holy city and were told to get off their donkeys so they could make the last stretch on foot. After reaching the crest of the hill Ignatius was overcome by a sense of joy that was almost supernatural. Words again could not express his elation. This joy remained with him as he toured the sites in Jerusalem with his fellow pilgrims. He soaked everything in, and these sights and sounds would stay with him for years to come. They also inspired him to compose new prayers that focused on the life of Jesus, helping people see and hear the same things Ignatius experienced on his visit to the Holy Land.
One example takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was the garden where Jesus prayed to God after the Last Supper, begging his Father to save him from the painful death that awaited him. Ignatius encourages us to imagine ourselves in the stories of Scripture, as if we are right there with Jesus in the Holy Land. He instructs us to use our senses and try to construct the whole scene in our imagination (something Ignatius called the “composition of place”). We should visualize everything around us so we can feel like we’re actually there witnessing the gospel stories happen. At the Garden of Gethsemane Ignatius invites us to visualize Jesus coming down from Mount Zion with his eleven apostles and entering the Valley of Josaphat. We should watch Jesus take Peter, James, and John and lead them to a separate part of the garden, and then behold Jesus as he prays so intensely that his sweat becomes like drops of blood. Next we should witness Judas’s arrival with armed guards and watch Peter cut off the ear of one of the servants, and then watch as Jesus picks up the ear and re-attaches it to the man. As Jesus is led off by the guards, we should continue watching him walk down the hill as he is led to the house of the high priest for trial.
Every part of the story is an opportunity for our imagination to do some exploring, and Ignatius knows that each of us can benefit greatly from this type of prayer. If I can visualize Jesus and everything that is happening in a story, then I am able to enter into that story and allow it to move me in a powerful way. I’m not merely reading how Jesus was worried about his impending death; I’m watching him agonize over it. He’s weeping right there in front of me and pouring his heart out to his Father, whom he loves dearly. I’m not just learning how Jesus healed someone whose ear was cut off by his friend Peter. I’m watching Jesus be moved with pity for the man, pick up his bloody ear, and put it back on the man so he can hear again, all while the guards and disciples stand there in stunned silence. The whole time I do this type of prayer, I want to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. How do his words and actions move me? How am I drawn into a closer relationship with Jesus through this experience? Can I see the great sacrifice Jesus made by dying a painful death for my sake? Do I feel moved to make sacrifices for others that I care about?
When Ignatius was recuperating from his cannonball injury, his imagination sometimes got in the way. His constant daydreaming made it hard for him to concentrate, especially when it came to reading. But Ignatius learned how to harness his imagination and use it to help him grow closer to God. Once he did this, he discovered multiple treasures hidden within Scripture, and his spiritual life grew by leaps and bounds. He knew other people could reap the same benefits.
But this imagination technique also got Ignatius intro trouble in Jerusalem. He kept thinking about the place on the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended into heaven, and he began to forget certain details about the place as he tried to visualize them, so he went back to look at the spot one more time. He didn’t have permission to visit any of the sites by himself, especially without an escort by the Turkish soldiers, so he bribed one of the guards at the Mount of Olives with a fancy knife since he didn’t have any money. He spent some time there and then walked to Bethpage to see where Jesus began his procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. But as he tried to re-imagine the Mount of Olives again, he couldn’t remember which position Jesus’ feet were as he stood on the stone he ascended from, so Ignatius rushed back there to see it one more time, bribing the guard again with a nice pair of scissors. Finally the authorities were notified that Ignatius was trespassing on these holy sites, and the Franciscans came and dragged him away.
The Franciscans had already run out of patience with Ignatius. He stayed in Jerusalem visiting the holy sites for three weeks, and he wanted to stay much longer. He told them about his intention to find people in the city and help them grow closer to God and to Jesus. They were not impressed. Ignatius had permission from the pope to visit the holy places there, but that was all he was allowed to do. Anyone caught trying to convert Muslims would be punished, and if too many Christian pilgrims were caught doing this, the Franciscans would be expelled from the Holy Land. The head Franciscan explained to Ignatius that other pilgrims tried similar things before. They were either arrested or executed, and the monastery went broke trying to pay the ransom for the ones taken prisoner. Ignatius kept pleading his case, but to no avail. His time in the Holy Land was over, and he would have to return to Spain.
This wasn’t the first time Ignatius’s dreams had been shattered. In fact he was starting to get used to this. At least he was able to visit Jerusalem, but what would he do now? He was a former knight with great spiritual ideas but little training in anything useful. He realized he needed more education if he was going to make a difference in life, so at the age of 33 he decided to go back to school.
He almost didn’t make it back to Spain. The voyage back to Italy was even more eventful than the one to Jerusalem. The pilgrims found passage on three ships heading to Venice, and they split up among the three. A storm on the high seas caught everyone by surprise, and two of the ships sank. The small boat that Ignatius was on barely survived. After two months at sea Ignatius landed at Venice, but it was winter now, and he only had a sleeveless black jacket, shorts, and a thin coat. People took pity on him and donated things to him, but Ignatius always felt there were people who were more in need than he was, and he donated these things to others.
Cold and hungry, Ignatius began the journey across Italy on foot, still limping badly. He needed to make it to the west coast to board a ship to Barcelona, but the roads weren’t safe in 1524. The war between Spain and France had spilled over into Italy, and troops from both sides were stationed everywhere. Ignatius made his way westward and needed a place to lodge one night, but the village he was hoping to stay at had been burned to the ground. He kept walking and came upon another town, but the soldiers watching the city gate spotted him right away. They seized him, interrogated him, and strip-searched him, and when Ignatius gave only short answers to their questions, they assumed he was a spy. They led him to their captain’s quarters and locked him in a room where he was interrogated again. The captain looked at Ignatius’s tattered clothes, saw that he had no weapons or secret messages to convey to enemy troops, and he concluded that Ignatius wasn’t a spy or a soldier. In fact, he must have been crazy to travel alone in such a dangerous area. “This fellow has no brains,” the captain exclaimed, and they threw him out.
When Ignatius got to the next town, French soldiers arrested him too. This was turning out to be a dreadful night! Fortunately this captain was from the same native region that Ignatius was, so he treated him well, gave him food to eat, and let him continue his journey the next day. Ignatius finally made it to the west coast and found a ship traveling to Barcelona. He stumbled upon an old acquaintance who used to work with him when they lived in royal palaces as young men, and the man helped him find a ship heading to Spain. An Italian pirate named Andrea Doria was lurking in the seas at that time and just narrowly missed catching Ignatius’s ship. He had been very, very fortunate.
After landing at Barcelona, Ignatius hoped to reunite with the people he met when he was in Manresa. He remembered the care that people had shown him, especially the many women who helped him when he was in need. He also wanted to begin his studies right away, and he remembered there was a wise monk in Manresa who would be the perfect tutor for him.
Reflection Questions:
- Ignatius wanted to be as close to Jesus as possible, even walking in the same place where Jesus lived and died. In what ways do I try to get as close to Jesus as possible in my life? If I imagine myself walking with Jesus or having a conversation with him, what would Jesus say to me? What would I say to Jesus?
- Practice Ignatius’s “composition of place” by reading the healing of a paralytic in Mark 2:1-11, and imagine yourself in the scene. Which character are you? The paralyzed man? One of the men lowering him through the roof? One of Jesus’ disciples? A bystander? How are you moved by your experience as one of these characters?
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