While we know that not all readers of this blog are teachers, we do recognize the celebration of Catholic Schools Week. This teacher shares a lesson in finding God that is applicable to those in any profession. When we allow...

My mom always said, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” This is a mantra of my youth that tumbles as easily out of my mouth as reciting the Our Father. Like so many family sayings, these...

Leah Libresco, a former atheist and a fellow writer at Patheos, describes in America Magazine how she came to appreciate praying the rosary: Since I’m a convert, learning to pray was basically like learning a foreign language.... ne prayer I struggled...

Two old friends were walking down the road one evening when they began to argue. As they went along, they shouted at one another as each tried to impose his view upon the other. Suddenly, one of them caught...

This imaginative prayer exercise is based on John 21:1–14, the story of the risen Christ’s appearance to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. You have been out on the water all night with your friends. It felt good to...

At God in All Things, Jacqueline Shrader writes about the Theology of Coffee. Ignatian spirituality suggests invoking our senses and imagination to encounter God and ourselves. When I am holding a cup of coffee, the warmth radiates through my hands,...

Years ago on retreat, the director asked me what Jesus looked like to me. I thought about it a moment and then described the stereotypical Jesus—long hair, scruffy, sandals, robe. As I gave the description, the director seemed to...

In his Christmas message to the Curia, Pope Francis worried about those who suffer from “la malattia della faccia funerea”—the malady of the funeral face. Symptoms include brusqueness, arrogance, and a “sterile pessimism.” His suggested remedy? A dose of...

Philip Shano, SJ, reflects on the similarities between a personal trainer and a spiritual director. We are sometimes half asleep, almost in a slumber—whether with our physical or spiritual exercise. I find that Christian helps wake me up, at least...

The readings for the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord concern receptivity to God’s gifts. Isaiah’s words invite the thirsty to “come to the water” and promise those who listen that they “shall delight in rich fare.” (Isaiah...