Category Archives: spirituality

Acceptance

A prayer by the Dutch Jesuit Peter van Breemen has popped up in my awareness this week: We thank you, God, that you watch over us, that it is not blind fate which shapes our lives. Your concern is for … Continue reading

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On The Tube Again: Purgatory

There’s a backlash against eulogies in many church circles. I don’t get worked up about it … unless they go much beyond a few minutes at a funeral Mass. I think I get the indulgence for it. Everybody knows a … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 30 & 31

Today concludes the the Ignatian Year, and above, a painting of the saint in his recovery I had not seen before. A cannonball seems to me to be a more effective weapon against a building. For Ignatius, it altered the … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 29: Gratitude

Three more days in the Ignatian Year, and a look at gratitude and its opposite. St Ignatius was hyper-critical of ingratitude, thinking it “the cause, beginning, and origin of all evils and sins.” I was not raised with good schooling … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 28: O Christ Jesus

A prayer from one of my favorite Jesuits, Pierre Favre, to help conclude the Ignatian Year: O Christ Jesus May your death be my life, Your labor my repose, Your human weakness my strength, Your confusion my glory.

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Ignatius in July, 27: Modesty and Sin

Can you endure one more letter from Saint Ignatius as part of a conclusion to the Ignatian Year? I see often in right-leaning Catholic sites some consternation about modesty in dress. More men than women seem concerned about mostly all … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 26: Jesuits at Trent, 1546

As a conclusion to the Year, I looked again to some of Saint Ignatius’ writings as offered in this resource. Particular points from his letter to Jesuits who attended the Council of Trent seemed relevant for today’s overheated culture of … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 25: Stubbornness in Disputes

As a conclusion to the Ignatian Year, this morsel from one of the saint’s letters. We should not dispute stubbornly with anyone; rather we should patiently give our reasons with the purpose of declaring the truth lest our neighbor remain … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 24: Spiritual Exercises

As a conclusion to the Ignatian Year, a daily look at aspects of the spirituality of Saint Ignatius Loyola and his tradition. Back in 1987, I remember having a long-distance conversation with someone at a Jesuit retreat house. I was … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 23: Entering Into Retreat

As a conclusion to the Ignatian Year, I’ve been thinking about material to drop here (almost) daily. My first spiritual director (early 1980s) was steeped in the Ignatian tradition. I don’t think I recognized it at the time. My booklet, Orientations, … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 22: Mary of Magdala

In the conclusion to the Ignatian Year, Mary of Magdala might help us with an important insight (or sight) of Jesus. It is her feast today, after all. I enjoyed this essay from Loretta Pehanich. The summit of her reflection, … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 20 & 21: Frontiers

As a conclusion to the Ignatian Year, I’ve been trying to keep up with a daily essay on something Ignatian. It’s been a busy few days and I fell behind yesterday. Two linked reflections to cover two dates this month. … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 18 & 19: Interpretation

Whoops; looks like another slip-up in the conclusion to the Ignatian Year. How do you interpret that? I’m lazy? Slipping in my spiritual disciplines? Harbor a secret skepticism about Jesuits? Let’s look to one of my favorite citations in the … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 17: Repetition in Prayer

In his guidebook Orientations, Fr John Veltri discusses the do’s and don’t’s of repetition in prayer. How does this work in one’s daily prayer? Repetition means that I return to those points where I have experienced “greater consolation, desolation or greater … Continue reading

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Ignatius in July, 16: Aging and Dying

Empty nest this week. The young miss is visiting friends in Texas. I feel a bit at a loss. Maybe a bit old too. I don’t recall Saint Ignatius ever writing of an adult child leaving home. Perhaps he or … Continue reading

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