A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: Saving the Good Stuff for Later
As far back as I can remember I have saved important stuff for a future need. Saving handwritten letters from my European grandparents on lightweight blue airmail sheets – very important. Saving my Halloween candy as a child – until my sisters absconded with my...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: Desolation, A Quite Unwelcome Place to Be
Desolation is a tricky subject to write about. At least, I think it is. After all, sometimes the spiritual desolation I feel is hard to describe to another person, especially if I’m trying to reason out why it is plaguing me. Spiritual desolation has come into my...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: Why Me?
Training to run half marathons was second nature to me. The rush of the challenge excited me and running was my prayer time. This is where I had the best conversations with God. The past two years I started finding it difficult to wake up at 5:30 am to go for a...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: A Spiritual Vaccine
I have a friend who had serious time management problems. She was always late. Seriously late. This included Sunday mass, even though she loved the liturgy and the spiritual community she was with each week. Then one day she shared with me that she had stopped...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: How do I land this plane?
Don’t let the white hair fool you, I’m not yet 4 years old…in Ignatian Spirituality terms, that is. The thought of writing my first Into the Deep piece has me pestered by internal voices calling me out as an imposter. What were you thinking saying yes? You don’t...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: Stop and Ask for Directions
There is a large shopping mall near my home. The hallway connecting the stores forms a circle. Unless I find a map kiosk, illustrating a diagram of the mall and its stores, with a star revealing, ‘you are here,’ I tend to take the long way around. Knowing where I...
A Guide to Ignatian Discernment: Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles
Brady completed his first year of high school last week. In the final days of his freshmen year, I watched his tenacity grow as he studied for his exams. The diligent exercise of studying. Practicing math problems over and over again. Reviewing concepts. ...
Sustaining Hope: Letting God Hold the Remote with You
“I promise, I’m not changing the channel … I just want to hold the remote.” My then 5-year-old daughter’s eyes were big and her voice was a high-pitched whine as she grabbed for the remote.As I was thinking about how to sustain hope when circumstances are beyond...
Sustaining Hope in Forgiveness
I need to apologize to you ... I felt like the prodigal daughter who stomped away from a difficult conversation only to be filled with remorse. In a moment of frustration, I lost my patience and let loose on a colleague. I was looking for someone to blame and...
Sustaining Hope in the Midst of Anxiety
“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly.” - Mark 5:25-26 My anxiety is hemorrhaging out of me. Over time I have learned to deal with my triggers in more effective ways. But some days, like today, it hemorrhages. It...
