Resisting Jesus – Resisting Intimacy with Jesus
Does anyone else struggle with intimacy in prayer? This was not a concept or experience encouraged when I was growing up, and it has been a struggle even now after 5-ish years of immersion in Ignatian Spirituality. Ignatian Contemplation has been a great gift...
Resisting Jesus – Resisting Forgiveness
Holding Down the Sand - Resisting Forgiveness “I’m holding down the sand!” My daughter stamped down the shifting beach sand with all her might, trying to keep the waves from pulling it away. Her desperate attempts to contain the earth beneath her feet has become an...
Resisting Jesus – Resisting Prayer
Squatting at eye level to see my tiny niece allowed me to hear her more clearly. The whispered voice, warm and moist with a child’s eagerness, played in my ear – “Aunt Mo, how do I talk to Jesus?” The desire to communicate with God springs forth from the heart of...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Who am I being called to love?
I feel guilty each time I drive through an intersection and see someone with a cardboard sign asking for help. I rarely carry cash. While I know that my small token of money will not change that person’s life, I wonder if maybe I should do more. Who are we being...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Noticing Control and Responding in Surrender
I’ve always loved new beginnings: the blank slates they offer to me, the invitations to reflect on where I’ve come from and where I hope my path will take me next, the chances to express gratitude for what has shaped me and let go of what has weighed me down. Of...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Christ’s Call to Greater Trust
“Mary Ann, you speak of yourself as a tired sheepdog constantly watching the edges of the field. What would it look like if you were a sheep?” I could feel myself stiffen, my hands clenched. “What would you be losing if you changed roles? What would the gains...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Discerning Christ’s Call to Put My Gifts in Action
How I long for people to understand how their gifts are woven through everything. My gifts work within my personality, my history, my experiences. Your gifts work within your desires and loves. This is the way God created us. On the one hand, gifts are natural and...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Christ’s Invitation To See My Gifts
The idea of God giving gifts to anyone seemed so foreign to me. I believed God’s gifts were reserved for priests, nuns, saints, and laypeople who devoted their lives to God’s mission. A few weeks ago, I was at Sunday mass at my parish, and Fr. Andrew gave his...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Christ’s Hopes for my Prayer Life This Year
Like many of you, I find that January is a good time to review the past year, notice hopes and desires that might be stirring, and make some choices about where I want to refocus my energy. Over time I’ve become more intentional about including Jesus in this...
Setting Up My Year in Christ – Christ’s Call to be the Center of my Life
Keep Christ at the Center: Why? We can cite numerous theological reasons to put Christ at the center of life. But I find it quite effective to look at the alternatives. Why center my life on Christ? Well, if not on Christ, then what becomes my center? Do I...
