When Wrestling Becomes a Blessing - a Reflection on Today's Reading w Ignatian Spirituality 7/8/2025

One of the most mysterious and powerful stories in all of Scripture is Jacob wrestling with God at the Jabbok River. In Genesis 32, Jacob finds himself alone, in the dark, awaiting a reckoning—not just with his brother Esau, but with his past, his fears, and ultimately, with God.

He wrestles all night—not in rebellion, but in relationship. And by morning, he is transformed: no longer Jacob the deceiver, but Israel, “the one who struggles with God.” He walks away limping, yes—but also blessed. That limp becomes a sacred mark, not of defeat, but of divine encounter.

Jacob’s struggle echoes deep in our own hearts. Like Jacob, we meet God not in sanitized clarity, but in gritty, honest engagement. We, too, wrestle—in grief, in doubt, in questions about life’s purpose or our place in God’s story. Jacob’s limp teaches us something vital: we don’t leave encounters with God unchanged. These moments of struggle aren’t signs of weakness—they’re signs of divine touch. God meets us there—not to defeat us, but to bless us.

This is the heart of Ignatian spirituality: to find God in all things. Not just in the silence of the chapel, but in the chaos of the day. St. Ignatius invites us to listen for the Spirit stirring in our emotions, in our choices, in the stories we carry. His way is not escape, but immersion—a spirituality that honors both struggle and grace.

One of the most powerful tools Ignatius gives us is the **daily Examen**: a prayerful reflection that gently invites us to trace the movement of God in our day.  

• Where did I feel gratitude?  
• When did I sense God's presence—or absence?  
• What choices did I make, and why?  
• Where do I need healing, forgiveness, or courage?  

These questions are not tests. They are invitations. Like Jacob, we are asked to name what we're wrestling with—and to hold on, until blessing comes.

So if you feel like you're in a dark place, if you're wrestling with questions, guilt, grief, or yearning—do not let go. Say with Jacob, "I will not let You go until You bless me." And trust that God does not shun our struggle. He enters into it. And He transforms it.

Let us be people who limp away blessed. Let us be people who seek God in all things—even in the wrestling.

Amen.