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"Just Call Me López," Margaret Silf (Loyola Press, 2012, $14.95, 253 pp)

The premise is simple, albeit somewhat unbelievable: A contemporary woman has an encounter with an unusual man who turns out to be a 16th-century Spaniard. As I read the first pages, my head was shaking - yet the pages kept turning, and I found myself engrossed in a marvelous tale with essential messages in the latest work by author Margaret Silf.

If "Just Call Me López" sounds unbelievable, that's because it is. In this case, that is not a bad thing!

The tale begins as we meet our narrator, Rachel. A hit-and-run driver knocks her off her bicycle and she is thrown to the ground. An unusual man comes to her aid, noting that she has "run into trouble." This statement bears the truth of what he sees, as well as a metaphorical reference to Rachel's life: Confronting middle age, she is a bit adrift and facing challenges.

As he helps her home, she is struck by his kindness and invites him in for coffee. An unlikely friendship is born. The stranger reveals that he is from another time; he introduces himself as "Iñigo López." This is St. Ignatius of Loyola!

He does not introduce himself as the founder of the Society of Jesus or as a saint. The man Rachel meets is there to share his friendship and his experiences. The time-traveling Spaniard is wounded from war, filled with the same kinds of challenges as everyone else, aware of his shortcomings and mistakes - but is following an interior calling to a new way of life.

The thing is, he has already done this, about 500 years ago!

Rachel, who's wondering where she herself is headed, is apprehensive, yet intrigued by this López. The oddity of having a time traveler become her friend is accepted in the face of the relationship.

Rachel and López continue to meet. They are making a pilgrimage of sorts, with López sharing where he has been in life and what he envisions. Rachel's life begins to reshape itself, as well.

Relationship and encounter are at the heart of the Christian life, and entering into the story is essential in Ignatian spirituality. Anyone who has studied the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius knows that you must put yourself into the Scripture as part of your prayer. This "living yourself" into the story is elemental to this book. The writing style of magical realism has an Ignatian twist.

While we can't judge a book by its cover, the binding of this small volume is worth noting. Hardbound, with a paperback price, the book is replete with creative graphics and Ignatian information.

Author Margaret Silf, known for her essays and observations about Ignatian spirituality, has used her talent well in this tale. Although it sounded almost ridiculously unreal, "Just Call Me López" is a book that really moved me.

(Mrs. Szpylczyn works at Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville and blogs at http://pastoralpostings.wordpress.com, http://blog.timesunion.com/bread and http://stedwardsblog.wordpress.com.)[[In-content Ad]]

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