July 30, 2020 — Spirit & Verse is a monthly column of original poem-prayers composed by Cameron Bellm, a Seattle-based writer and mother of two whose “Prayer for a Pandemic” went viral, bringing solace and comfort to many struggling during COVID-19.
A Prayer for the Feast of St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius, teach us not to fear
The holy cannonballs that burst into our lives,
Blessedly interrupting our plans and priorities.
St. Ignatius, lead us with you
Into the cave at Manresa,
Where we may suffer
And yet emerge transformed.
St. Ignatius, let us sit beside you
On the banks of the Cardoner River,
And be awash, as you were, in revelation.
St. Ignatius, lock us with you
In a cell run by Inquisitors
And set alight in us your devotion to growth,
Even when met with distrust and disapproval.
St. Ignatius, send us out into the world
Like you did your first companions,
Making every moment a monastery
And finding God in all things.
Amen.
Cameron Bellm is a Seattle-based writer of prayers and spiritual essays. After completing her Ph.D. in Russian literature at the University of California, Berkeley, she traded the academic life for the contemplative life, informed by Ignatian spirituality and Catholic social teaching. She and her husband have two young sons, and, blessedly, playing with Legos often nurtures her spiritual life as much as reading the lectionary. She writes at krugthethinker.com and on Instagram, @krugthethinker.
