It is good to remember that spirituality is a series of practices that allow us to pay attention to God. God’s always there, but we get easily distracted. And the more we get distracted, the easier it is to get distracted. Distraction itself has become our practice. The answer, of course, is the opposite practice […]
My husband asked me why I was being nice instead of sharing the snarky comment the expression on my face expressed. Looking at him, I announced that I was trying to “will the good” of others in my life, and I had thought it would be a simple thing to do. “It’s hard,” I reluctantly […]
My 84-year-old father, a former Air Force fighter pilot who traveled around the world, now spends his days mainly confined to his recliner. His liberty to get up and walk to the refrigerator, let alone travel or even run an errand, is gone. He has lived in the same room for three years now, yet […]
One of the most important characteristics of Ignatian prayer is the use of imagination. Ignatius recommends practices of meditation, consideration, and contemplation as ways for humans to open themselves to the work of God’s Spirit, who prays within the bodied spirit of the human person. Each of these practices requires the person of prayer to […]
Any given day, our activities might be driven by one big to-do list: pick up and drop off; get where we need to be; see who we arranged to see; work on projects; prepare and clean up; contact the people in our lives. We put one foot in front of the other most days without […]
Everywhere these days, we’re told that the best policy is “no surprises.” Our world is obsessed with control, planning, and risk management. Parents of small children, coaches, managers, therapists, spouses, and friends are advised to be steady and predictable, to avoid sudden changes, to be transparent, and to explain expectations clearly. Much counsel in spiritual […]
Fr. Venâncio Da Costa Pereira, SJ, works in retreat ministry in Timor-Leste. He addresses serving people in a predominantly Catholic country and explains how the Ignatian Spirituality Center tries to promote two things in particular: spiritual conversation and discernment.
Writer Alli Bobzien uses a yearly Examen as a way to gain perspective and practice prudence. She notes in “Everyday Ignatian: Practicing Prudence in the Examen”: When we are in the midst of daily life, it’s easy to miss the signposts pointing us to that which helps and away from that which hinders. Our family […]
