All Posts - Page 255 of 312

15 Jan

Desert Solitude

During my doctoral studies at UBC, one of my fellow graduate students did a most unconventional dissertation. He spent a year by himself on a small, windswept, rain-soaked island miles off the coast of southern Chile. His dissertation, entitled A Year in Wilderness Solitude attempted to answer the question, What are the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects of living for an extended period in deep wilderness solitude? The dissertation was eventually published by New World Library in 2009 as Solitude: Seeking Wisdom in Extremes: A Year Alone in the Patagonia Wilderness....

14 Jan

Some Thoughts on Praying (11)

This article concludes the series of eleven articles on some basic points about praying. It is hoped that they have been of some help in the recitation of set prayer formulas as well as being a stepping-stone into the area of mental prayer. May it foster more openness to the grace of being in God's presence which is a purpose of praying....

13 Jan

The Peace of Broken Things

Despite its beauty, this is a place of brokenness. So said the guide sheet handed to tourists (like me) upon entering Ely Cathedral – a massive, spectacular Anglican church that rises out of the English countryside some 80 miles north of London." This article originally appeared in The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org), December 25, 2014....

12 Jan

in the dark

Tuesday is poetry day at igNation. Today's poem - "in the dark" is by Monty Williams, SJ...

11 Jan

Jesuit Volunteers in Kathmandu

The flight into Kathmandu, in front of the splendour of the Himalaya; the drive through Kathmandu's chaotic traffic; the first trip to a village where one eats rice with one's hands while squatting on a wooden plank – so the life of a volunteer begins! For almost two decades, the Jesuit International Volunteers in Washington, D.C., sent college graduates on two year volunteer assignments to Nepal. These talented and dedicated young men and women served our school students and provided social service to the poor....

08 Jan

TTCing to Regis

It is undoubtedly a long ride to my destination. Nestled between tall buildings, Regis College beckons to those thirsty for new learning experiences. However, it isn't just book knowledge that I gain from my weekly trip downtown. The means of transportation provides me with interesting facets of life, not provided by any Theology course I am likely to take....

06 Jan

Why We Need Friends

Frank Capra's beloved classic It's a Wonderful Life explores a number of themes, but perhaps the most important – or at least the final word – is given to the angel Clarence, who leaves his copy of Tom Sawyer to George Bailey with this line inscribed: "Remember George, no man is a failure who has friends." That even the most mundane and provincial of lives can be considered a success if it includes the gift of friendship, is a profoundly Christian idea. Yet it also immediately begs a number of questions. What is true friendship? What differentiates friendship from other kinds of loving relationships? And is it the number or the quality of friendship that is the more important?...

06 Jan

Earthy and Real

Today's poem by Philip Chircop, SJ is a reflection on Ordination Day for Canadian Jesuits at Our Lady f Lourdes Parish in Toronto - May 24, 2014....

05 Jan

Pesebre

The Colombia mania for Christmas creches, which go by the Spanish name pesebre, impressed Greg Kennedy, SJ and so he wrote this poem for igNation....

04 Jan

The Human Talent

You know what? The Second Law of Thermodynamics kind of sucks. It's always running us down, wearing us out. You might not know the Second Law of Thermodynamics by name, but you certainly know it by feel. Dissipation; degradation; degeneration. If you are anything like me, you've experienced it every week since you were a kid. Every Saturday morning my household obligation has been to clean my bedroom. So the week starts off tidy, uncluttered and clean. But inevitably, almost imperceptibly, things go to pot. By Monday papers have begun creeping out like caterpillars across the desk. Laundry lounges lazily in the reading chair. Books loiter around aimlessly like high school kids outside the 7-11....