Their forgiveness was striking. Members of Charleston’s Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church lost nine cherished members in a terrifying shooting in 2015 and offered swift absolution. Holding back tears, Nadine Collier, whose mother was killed in the attack, said, “but God forgive you, and I forgive you.” Astonishing. Fast forward to the time of Pope […]
The notion that the spiritual life is a journey is so common that it’s a platitude. I worked for years in Catholic publishing. I’ve seen dozens of book covers depicting paths: rugged paths in the forest, manicured paths in lovely parks, paths over bridges, paths up mountains, paths across the desert. But the cliche isn’t […]
The other day, I was sorting through some old papers and came across the “Fall in Love” prayer by Joseph Whelan, SJ. His thoughts are so simple yet so profound. I was glad to come across them again. The first time I read these words, though, I was completely intimidated. It was my first Ignatian retreat, […]
Jesus promoted peace. He said at the Last Supper, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” (John 14:27) Then, after the Resurrection, Jesus’ first words to the disciples were, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Although it may at times seem that we are powerless to stop wars, violence in our […]
Sometimes I am frozen in fear by an event that makes me realize how precious and fragile life really is. During these moments, the mundane tasks usually accomplished without thought become weighty and difficult, because I am crushed by worry. Usually, though, these events ground me enough to remind me that the world we live […]
Do you have any idea how glorious the world around you really is? Consider the multitude of gifts of our earthly existence that are far beyond what our very limited human bodies can interpret or fully experience. While humans can hear from 20 to 20,000 Hz (vibrations per second), a bat can hear up to […]
Becky Eldredge shares John the Baptist, Moses, Peter, and Elizabeth as people from Scripture she relates to in her relationship with God. From pointing the way to God to lessons in leadership and accompaniment, these biblical examples can help us better know God and live our call. Becky Eldredge is the author of Encounter Grace.
When a difficult challenge arises for someone I love, more often than not, I launch right into problem-solving mode. When my oldest son was officially diagnosed with hearing loss, I immediately started working on an action plan. I got him fitted with hearing aids and made regular appointments for both speech and occupational therapies. I […]
To see a cactus is to see a plant well-armored and well-suited to the harshest of environments—at least, to an amateur cacti observer like me. The fleshy green exterior is solid and firm; the coat of prickles is intimidating and sharp. I give cacti a wide berth. For that reason, I had no trouble staying […]
This post is based on Week Eight of An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. I find myself drawn to the post-Resurrection scene in John, chapter 21. Peter, resignedly returned to his old life, sees Jesus on the shore making breakfast of all things. This is God showing up in the ordinariness of human experience. Impulsively Peter jumps […]
It’s mind-boggling how many times Jesus’ friends didn’t recognize him. I can’t imagine how I would not recognize one of my good friends after having lived with that person for an extended time. Even if my friend were wearing a disguise, wouldn’t there be something that might tip me off? Yet this is exactly what […]
We all encounter suffering, either our own or someone else’s. Perhaps our suffering or the suffering we witness is not like Jesus’s agony on the cross or like my grandfather’s cancer journey, but in our own way we experience and witness hurt, abandonment, betrayal, loss, doubt, fear, or pain. It is hard to endure suffering […]
This post is based on Week Seven of An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. Pilgrimage experiences teach great lessons in basic humanity, reaching limits, and dependence on others and God. Pilgrims learn the importance of being freed from false expectations and beliefs, and they come to truths about themselves and the world, learning new levels of compassion […]
I’m in a period of discernment, not sure where God is calling me. I may discover that the old ways I’ve been doing things are no longer appropriate; in a sense, a part of me may have to die so that I can discover a new way of serving God. In this way, I will […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
In Ignatian Spirituality A to Z, Jim Manney provides a brief, informative, and entertaining guide to key concepts of Ignatian spirituality and essential characters and events in Jesuit history.
In Encounter Grace, Becky Eldredge references the story of the woman bent over for 18 years (Luke 13:11) and concludes, “While I was not physically bent over by a spirit, listening to other people’s voices over God’s was weighing me down.” Consider how the story of the woman resonates in your life and what weighs […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
In Ignatian Spirituality A to Z, Jim Manney provides a brief, informative, and entertaining guide to key concepts of Ignatian spirituality and essential characters and events in Jesuit history.
This post is based on Week Six of An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. Before I was a Jesuit, I worked in the corporate world for an American computer company near London. Slowly I became tired of the self-indulgence of my carefree yuppie lifestyle, and I ended up in a bad place personally. The lack of purpose […]
The last straw that led to St. Augustine’s conversion to Christianity was the voice of a child, playing a game in which he chanted, “Take and read; take and read.” The voice led Augustine to pick up the Bible and read a passage from Romans, which made him look upon himself and the world in […]
Becky Eldredge suggests that when we feel lonely, we take a moment to remember we’re not alone. In the below video, Becky shares a simple prayer practice to feel the gift of God with us. As we take three breaths: “Breathe in the gift that God the Father is with us. Breathe in the gift […]
This post is based on Week Five of An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. One of the most powerful experiences of my life was the penniless pilgrimage in the novitiate. As part of my formation as a Jesuit novice, I walked with a companion across Spain for a month. It was extremely challenging as we had to […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
In Our Treasures Within, best-selling children’s book creators Peter H. Reynolds and his twin brother Paul use their art and storytelling to keep Pope Francis’s uplifting and transformational messages touching lives for generations to come.
Each year when March comes, I anticipate that somehow the arrival of the spring equinox will coincide with the arrival of warmer weather. Maybe, just maybe, I can start to plant some early spring seeds. I am continually disappointed in the lack of a match between my ideas about the calendar and the reality of […]
IgnatianSpirituality.com ® is a service of Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry.
In Our Treasures Within, best-selling children’s book creators Peter H. Reynolds and his twin brother Paul use their art and storytelling to keep Pope Francis’s uplifting and transformational messages touching lives for generations to come.
Marina Berzins McCoy
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11 hours 52 minutes ago
Prayer, Spiritual Direction, Retreats, and Good Decisions
