Philip Shano, SJ has many years of rich and varied experience working with Ignatian spirituality: teaching, writing and using it in his ministry. He resides in the Jesuit community in Pickering, Ontario.
581 posts
"As I look back on significant points in my life, I usually associate them with sacred ground, whether figurative or literal. Those places become icons for the important moments in my life. I cannot always go back to them, but they are always with me."...
"Peak experiences don't have to be profound moments of prayer. They don't even have to be confined to religious experiences. It's just a felt sense that all is right with my world and that God hasn't abandoned me."...
"Lent is a period of preparation, a type of spiritual retreat that evokes the experience of the desert. Perhaps the grace we can pray for in this week of our Lenten journey is the grace of listening with ears of discernment, of being attentive to how we need to grow and experience further initiation into our faith."...
"Like many good Christian practices, the roots of this day are of non-Christian origin. It was accepted into the beliefs of the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. But it still took a while to get to the holy day of prayer, fasting, and repentance that we acknowledge."...
"The Book of Sirach is part of the wisdom material in the Old Testament. The few wisdom sayings here speak for themselves and each can teach us something. They need to be balanced by taking a look at people’s actions, not just their words"...
"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.” "...
"The words of Jesus in the Gospel today encourage mercy and forgiveness. David showed those qualities to a man – Saul – who wanted him dead"...
"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."...
"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."...
"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”"...
