SpiritualityMarch 25, 2019Prayer in the Christian Life
"At one level we want help from God. We want to saved from our trials. At another level, we want the sense that we have accomplished something and that we are growing."
SpiritualityMarch 22, 2019Divine Assistance
"Having the right attitude is the secret to a successful day. To get things done we need to stop worrying about doing them or whining about the load of work that needs to be done."
SpiritualityFebruary 28, 2019The Perfect Friend – St. Claude La Columbiere
"The arrival of Colombière as confessor to the community was a Godsend for Alacoque. It turns out that she had a vision of the Lord saying, “I will send you my faithful servant and perfect friend.” "
SpiritualityFebruary 27, 2019Husbands, Wives and The Ephesians
In the text of the Spiritual Exercises, in section 22, to be exact, Ignatius asks that we should be more ready to give a favourable interpretation to another's statement than we are to condemn it as false. These words apply not only to our conversations but also to our listening to the reading of Sc
SpiritualityFebruary 25, 2019The Search for Humility
"The idea is that humility lies in forgetting ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses etc., and focusing outward on others and on God. The trap in always focusing on our weaknesses is that we are still focusing egoistically on ourselves. "
SpiritualityFebruary 24, 2019Saul, David and Revenge – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
"The words of Jesus in the Gospel today encourage mercy and forgiveness. David showed those qualities to a man – Saul – who wanted him dead"
SpiritualityFebruary 20, 2019International Outreach of John Veltri, SJ
"he extent of John Veltri's spiritual outreach around the world was very real, is difficult to document, and needs further exploration by researchers."
SpiritualityFebruary 19, 2019God’s Gift of Friendship
"By the grace of God and thanks to the listening ears of a good friend, I turned a corner and my faith was strengthened."
SpiritualityFebruary 18, 2019Quotes from My Bright Abyss, Christian Wiman.
"A quote on the back cover states: “A book that will give light and strength, even to those who find themselves unable to follow its difficult path.” (Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker) "
SpiritualityFebruary 17, 2019A Tree Planted by Water – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Trust is a tenuous feeling. Jeremiah refers to the fear that comes with heat and the anxiety during a time of drought. If the tree hadn’t been planted by water, it would wither. Instead, it continues to bear fruit."
SpiritualityFebruary 15, 2019Education as Transformation at Regis College
In the eyes of the world, I probably look like I’ve received more than enough: I work as an executive for a technology firm in Toronto, live a comfortable life, own properties, I’m surrounded by a supportive group of friends, and volunteer part-time for my local parish. To some, this might seem like
SpiritualityFebruary 12, 2019Prayer of Sharing the Journey – praying with and for Migrants & Refugees
Prayer takes on many forms. Today we see prayer as poetry.
SpiritualityFebruary 11, 2019Christian Unity
"I believe that one day all Christians will proudly exclaim without hesitation that we have a Father in Heaven, a Brother in Christ, a Holy Spirit to guide us and a Mother in Mary who can teach us how to grow closer to the Trinity."
SpiritualityFebruary 10, 2019“Here I am, Send Me.”even with my flaws ! Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Isaiah, Peter and Pope Francis know their weaknesses. They know their unworthiness. None of us is worthy to be a minister of the Lord, to do God’s work in the world. Yet, we all still have that commission as a result of our Baptism."
SpiritualityFebruary 07, 2019A New Creation Story
"Jesus’s baptism began a new creation story for the world and for each of us. At that moment Jesus begins to bring order out of the chaos of our sins."
SpiritualityFebruary 06, 2019The Present of Presence
"The giving tradition was rolling along until I hit a major road block, ill health. Then there was a role reversal. Instead of being the giver, I became the receiver. That was foreign to me."
SpiritualityFebruary 03, 2019Falling in Love – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Despite the various distinctions, we know that there are interconnections between the various types of love. I like the beautiful scene in Les Misérables when Jean Valjean says, “To love another person is to see the face of God”"
SpiritualityFebruary 02, 2019St. Blaise and the Blessing of Throats
"“Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”"
SpiritualityJanuary 31, 2019The French “Our Father.”
"Personally, I do not favour changing the wording of a biblical text to fit with a meaning found elsewhere. It is important for readers of the Bible to struggle with the difficulties found in the original text of the New Testament even when they pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples."
SpiritualityJanuary 28, 2019The Problem with Social Justice
" . . . in order for our actions to be fruitful, in order for them to have lasting impact on the world, they too must come from a deep place."
SpiritualityJanuary 27, 2019The Body as a Well-functioning Team – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
"The Church as well-working body? That’s a nice hope. It’s a dream that we can look toward. Meanwhile, we have to hope that as many members of the team as possible are playing their part."
SpiritualityJanuary 24, 2019Kyram Dear and 1 John 3:16
"Some key facts about Kyram: Age 12, can’t walk, sit or stand up on his own. Hearing impaired and mute. Has sleep apnea (tendency to stop breathing when asleep). Requires 24 hour quality professional care. Born 4 month premature with cerebral palsy and has limited or sporadic control of his mus
SpiritualityJanuary 21, 2019World Youth Day Panama
"Many young adults, having found joy in Christ at WYD, return to their home life with a newfound freedom to be alive in their faith."
SpiritualityJanuary 20, 2019Shining Out Like the Dawn – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Injustice and justice both have faces. Those faces surround us every time that we connect to the world around us "
SpiritualityDecember 16, 2018The Disarming Beauty of Christ – The Third Sunday of Advent
". . . the attraction of Christ makes possible an openness that would be impossible without him. We know, of course, that a disarming child comes into our lives with Christmas."
SpiritualityDecember 12, 2018Finding Joy in the Presence of God
"Soon we will be celebrating the true gift of Christmas – joy - as we welcome the birth of the infant child. " But what does "joy" mean?
Daily LifeSpiritualityDecember 01, 2018Audrey Parker – Before Her Time
"When Canada legalized euthanasia for exceptional circumstances, Parliament established safeguards. We now see an increasing call for the extension of cases eligible for euthanasia and the de facto removal of safeguards."
SpiritualityNovember 30, 2018Prayer to St. Michael
"The Holy Father asked the faithful of the entire world to pray that the Holy Mother of God place the Church beneath her protective mantle. We are to implore her to preserve the Church from attacks by the devil, “the great accuser.” "
Daily LifeSpiritualityNovember 28, 2018Bridging Borders – Acting in Love Rooted in Justice
"Our Bridging Borders campaign seeks to raise awareness (open eyes and hearts) and invite a response of action rooted in love that seeks to bring about structural change for the common good."
Daily LifeSpiritualityNovember 27, 2018Magnificat
Magnificat was written - and is posted here - in both English and French at the end of an eight day Ignation retreat.
SpiritualityNovember 24, 2018An Experience of the Guadalupe Circle
"we realized that when we focused on Jesus instead of on concerns about the Church, and when we spoke and listened to each other in welcoming and non-judgmental ways, then we experienced communion, energy and hope."
SpiritualityNovember 22, 2018Nonni and Manni and the Jesuits of Iceland
"The Jesuit missionary map tends to run east and west and not toward what was once known as the Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole, . . . Post-Viking Lutheran Iceland was not exactly friendly inter-faith territory."
SpiritualityNovember 19, 2018Riches, Honour, Pride
"When I read the three temptations of Christ in the desert I was struck by the uncanny resemblance of those temptations to Ignatius’ wisdom in the Exercises. "
SpiritualityNovember 18, 2018Alawys Alert – Logging in Wait
"Perhaps the invitation from Jesus to stay alert and awake can benefit from logging behaviour."
SpiritualityNovember 17, 2018Saints
"Sometimes we can glorify the people called saints as if they were somehow perfect. None of them was perfect. But their effort to listen to God’s will for them and to do it was ‘heroic’."
SpiritualityNovember 16, 2018Anniversary of the San Salvador Martyrs
"On 16 November 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter were assassinated on the campus of the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador, as ordered by the country’s High Command. "
SpiritualityNovember 11, 2018The Widow’s Mite – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Where is your heart? We are in that time of year when every charity imaginable is asking for money. We cannot give to all. Where is your heart? What will be your mite?"
SpiritualityNovember 03, 2018Letter from an Archbishop
Archbishop Currie of St. John's has permitted us to share his recent letter to the people of his Archdiocese.
SpiritualityOctober 30, 2018A Portrait in Pain
"Visio Divina of Caravaggio’s Beheading of John the Baptist"
SpiritualityOctober 28, 2018A Faithful Remnant – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
"We occasionally hear accounts of people who have experienced great misfortune. But when they hear of someone else’s woes, they grow in gratitude for what and who they have. "