Gabriel Lalemant was born on October 31, 1610 in Paris, the third of six children of a gifted French lawyer. Religious commitment ran deep in the family. Five of the children entered religious life. After his mother was left a widow, she brought up her children with a strong sense of dedication. She herself, after her children had grown and after Gabriel died a martyr's death in New France, joined a religious community and devoted her last years to prayer and seclusion....
One year and a half ago I began a new adventure. Not an adventure in far-away places or unknown fields, but right here at home and with very familiar topics. The adventure lies exploring with my new fellow students....
St. Ignatius was a master of human psychology long before we even knew the term. A favorite spiritual exercise of his is what has come to be known as the Examen. It is a simple, but powerful, daily prayer exercise and goes something like this. At the end of your day, give yourselves about 15 minutes to look over your day with the eyes of faith. Begin with a short prayer of thanksgiving for your life, for the day that has passed. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you with the mystery and grace of the day....
Matatus are privately owned minibuses that serve as the major form of public transportation in Nairobi. The name is a Swahili colloquialism based on the word tatu meaning "three". One explanation is that the name is derived from the original pick-up trucks that were fitted with three rows of wooden benches and a canvas roof. Another is that the original minibuses cost three pennies to ride. The conductor would call out "mapenny matutu" (translated as "three pennies" in Kiswahili) which was then shortened to matatu over time. Whatever the origins of the name, the drive is always an adventure. I have never felt closer to God then when I am experiencing life in a matatu....
The early Celtic Christians had a wonderful saying that reflects their Easter faith. Their goal and vocation in life was to "wander this earth seeking their place of resurrection." This evocative idea is reflected in the lives of some famous Irish saints including St. Patrick. Most Irish saints seemed to know when their hour of death was near. So when Patrick's time came he wanted to be buried in Armagh, his Episcopal centre. His guardian spirit from the time of his teenage captivity pointed him in another direction and ordered him to "return to the place from which you came."...
I have learned that one can find God in all things: this truism applies well to Japanese anime. In this entry, I would like to explore the use of the Christ-figure in anime. What is anime? Well, after WWII, Japanese culture was highly influenced by American culture. In the 1960s, Japanese artists adapted and simplified the "Disney" style animations they saw at the movies and used them to tell Japanese stories....
An English Jesuit priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 – 1889) was not widely known as a poet until after he died; his collected poems were first published in 1918 at the instigation of his friend Robert Bridges, who was at the time the Poet Laureate of England. Hopkins was both an observant lover of natural beauty and a deeply faithful man who suffered from depression, themes that reoccur in many of his poems. As a poet, he was also an experimenter, relying on alliteration, innovative meter, and created words, as well as on traditional forms such as the sonnet....
Habemus Papam! These words resounded around the world, and surprised everyone! - Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, who takes the name of "Francis", and he is a Jesuit! I for one was delightfully surprised at the choice of a non-European, and for his choice of the name "Francis" (of Assisi), known for his radical poverty, his love of creation, his desire for peace. But I was stunned when I heard he was also a Jesuit! I didn't even know we had a Jesuit Cardinal at the conclave. And I never imagined that this would be possible – to elect a Cardinal who was a Jesuit to become the successor of Peter, the universal Pastor of the churches in communion with Rome....
It is two years since I experienced the first symptom of the disease. I received the diagnosis of cutaneous anaplastic T-cell lymphoma in late August, 2011. I have been receiving treatment in one form or another since. Presently, after other chemo treatments did not achieve the desired results, I am undergoing a more toxic chemotherapy with some positive effects. I will undergo a stem cell transplant in the near future....
It was the last day of a month-long, 800 km walking pilgrimage across Spain known as the Camino de Santiago. Every step hurt on this final approach to the city of St James (Santiago), and I felt so tired, emotionally and physically. I had met this lovely Mexican family along the way and we walked and prayed together, supporting each other. Arriving in the medieval city, we went straight to the cathedral whose 18th century facade dominates the square where pilgrims arrive. We went into the crypt to pray at the tomb of that believed to be the apostle Saint James, a moving moment....
