At the start of this school year, I wrote about the desire to practice something new that I called “Advance Gratitude,” or pausing in gratitude for the graces and the blessings that will be. Sometimes when I write about my desires to do something new in prayer, I do not always succeed with my intentions. […]
I saw a reel on Instagram showing pictures of Jesus present in our everyday lives. There was Jesus, sitting at one of those low Kindergarten tables, in a much-too-small-for-him chair, coloring with a small child. He looked as if he were having fun. Then Jesus was sitting at the end of a bunk bed while […]
1. Clean the house, but only to the extent necessary. I don’t mean scrubbing from top to bottom, like a winter form of spring cleaning, although, if you can do that, go for it. But clutter can get in the way of enjoying days that are meant for celebration. You may not have time to […]
“Where are you from?” It’s a question I’ve been asked too many times to count. And there’s nothing like this question to get all the heads in a room to turn! It can be asked for many reasons, such as to find likeness and similarities, as in, Are you one of my group? Maybe we’re […]
In honor of the 15th anniversary of IgnatianSpirituality.com, we’re celebrating with 15 Gifts to Celebrate 15 Years! Read the details here. Gift 15 is a fun game inviting you to identify Ignatian terms. Challenge your friends to see who can finish the game fastest. Then learn more about the depth of Ignatian spirituality by browsing […]
We say, “Thank you,” without much thought when someone sends a birthday card, offers a ride, or recommends a professional contact. It’s the socially prescribed thing to do, and we don’t necessarily think any more about it. We take both the kindness and the response for granted. It’s all too easy to take God’s gifts […]
Advent begins December 1, 2024. Here are a few resources to keep in mind as you prepare to observe the season. Cherished by Jesus: A Webinar with Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND Discover how Jesus teaches, comforts, strengthens, and assures us of his love. The live webinar will be on December 3, 2024. Sacred Advent Embrace […]
Recently Pope Francis released a papal encyclical called Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us). In this letter, Francis speaks movingly about the need for a return to the heart. The heart, he says, “shapes my spiritual identity and puts me in communion with other people.” (14) He adds, “In this age of artificial intelligence, we cannot […]
In the busyness and demands of our daily lives, we often take for granted every breath we take and the briefest interactions we have. The practice of gratitude, however, invites us to be reflectively aware of the sacredness of even the smallest and seemingly insignificant moments. The practice of gratitude invites us to pause and […]
One morning several years ago, I came downstairs to discover a disconcertingly large puddle in the middle of our kitchen. The errant water sat still and far apart from any of the usual suspects: the dishwasher, the fridge, and the sink. No appliance or forgotten faucet seemed to be at fault, and so I quit […]
When the word gratitude is mentioned, I am instantly transported back to watching sitcoms during the ’70s and ’80s, when a hysterical character is slapped across the face. The unexpected action, carried out by a trusted friend or colleague, appears to break the hysteria and bring the startled person into a calmer frame of mind. […]
I am a lifelong Notre Dame football fan. It started when my dad had us watch the games every Saturday growing up, and my dedication to the team (and the outcome of their games) only intensified when I was a student there. Being present in the animated student section made me feel like I had […]
This is not a review of my friend Greg Boyle’s new book, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. Rather, it is a story about my friend who wrote a book that he said he was not ever going to write. But during the many years I have been Greg’s friend, I’ve […]
Sometimes in our efforts to move forward in life, we get stuck. We seem to be unable to move from where we are to where we’d rather be. The season of Advent, which marks the beginning of a new Church year, is an opportunity to begin anew and to get unstuck. Join spiritual director and […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
The Scripture, prayers, and reflections in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025 will inspire you to a richer daily spiritual experience throughout the liturgical year and invite you to develop a closer relationship with God.
In honor of the 15th anniversary of IgnatianSpirituality.com, we’re celebrating with 15 Gifts to Celebrate 15 Years! Read the details here. Today we bring you a chance to win a copy of 2025: A Book of Grace-Filled Days. We’re gifting copies to three lucky winners! Fill each day with a touch of grace with this […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
The Scripture, prayers, and reflections in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025 will inspire you to a richer daily spiritual experience throughout the liturgical year and invite you to develop a closer relationship with God.
Ignatian Volunteer Corps members share some of their experiences in a six-minute video. As volunteer Peggy Gessler says, “I enjoy volunteering, but IVC gives you the opportunity to reflect on your volunteer experience. And I enjoy the camaraderie and the reflection and the opportunity to learn from other people.” Learn more about the IVC by […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
The Scripture, prayers, and reflections in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025 will inspire you to a richer daily spiritual experience throughout the liturgical year and invite you to develop a closer relationship with God.
I read a Facebook post that said, “I am so angry at God today. This is the sixth day in a row I have sat at my sister’s bedside, watching her suffer in pain, waiting, just waiting, for God to take her. Why doesn’t he? This is so unfair to all of us.” I have […]
Ignatian blogger Loretta Pehanich wrote Loyola Kids Book of Jesus, His Family, and His Friends in the hopes that the book will help children “come to see Jesus as a friend.” She explains in the video below.
“The journey of faith is a gift of a loving God who takes the first step and waits patiently, silently, almost shyly for the human response,” writes Vincent Sherlock in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025. One of my earliest memories of a loving God was preparing for my First Reconciliation. The second-grade class at […]
Hope, writes Emily Dickinson, “is the thing with feathers – / That perches in the soul,” by which, I take her to mean, hope is ever-ready to take wing, quite apart from the machinations of our calculating minds. It is good to hold this image, particularly in times when news reports crash upon us rather […]