Ignatius Loyola experienced a profound mystical vision on the banks of the Cardoner river in northern Spain. He did not describe it any detail. He merely remarked in his autobiography that he learned more about God in the brief moments of this vision than he did in years of study and prayer.
The vision seems to have opened Ignatius’ eyes to the presence of God everywhere. It’s what he was getting at in the Contemplation on God’s love at the end of the Spiritual Exercises, where he sees “God’s love poured forth lavishly like a fountain spilling forth its waters into an unending stream.”
My friend Tom McGrath recommends a song that expresses this feeling that “now everything is different.” It’s “Holy Now” by Peter Mayer, a Minnesota folk singer. The lyrics are here, song 5 on the list. A sample:
When I was in Sunday school
We would learn about the time
Moses split the sea in two
Jesus made the water wine
And I remember feeling sad
That miracles don’t happen still
But now I can’t keep track
‘Cause everything’s a miracle
Everything, Everything
Everything’s a miracle.
Here’s Mayer performing the song:
