The Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises begins with a Contemplation on the Incarnation (SE 101–109). The graces we pray for with this meditation are the graces of the entire Second Week: to have intimate knowledge of Jesus, to...

St. Ignatius urged his followers to converse with Jesus in the same way that one would speak with a very dear friend. In his book, Praying the Truth, William Barry, SJ, writes: Prayer, as conscious relationship, is the royal road...

Thanksgiving will be different this year. As I write this, in early November, the United States is experiencing a new and frightening spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, along with a rising number of deaths due to...

Joan had cataract surgery. Overnight she developed all kinds of wrinkles. Well, actually, she simply hadn’t seen them before. With her eyesight improved, looking in her mirror was a revelation. Much came to light that she didn’t necessarily want...

“Nurturing gratitude makes us happy,” says Spiritual Practices for the Brain author Anne Kertz Kernion in this brief video on gratitude. How do you nurture gratitude in your life?

When I was in Kindergarten, I took the school bus home. The driver dropped me off three blocks away from my house. Since my mother was home with my two little sisters while they took their afternoon nap, I...

Advent begins November 29, 2020. Here are a few resources to keep in mind as you prepare to observe the season. Advent A to Z Observe the 26 days of Advent 2020 with Advent A to Z. This special e-mail series...

This morning, my husband, John, and I took a lap around the paved loop that tops a city park not far from where we live. From its high vantage point, there’s a long view of the surrounding landscape: stands...

“Cherish what is simple. Be in awe of what is great.” —Christopher de Vinck in The Center Will Hold I am sitting in the usual spot, participating in the Zoom meeting, listening to each person as they describe the events...

St. Ignatius Loyola offers us a model of contemplative leadership, as shown in the following ten characteristics of leaders. Contemplative leaders… See the real. Ignatius invites us to see the world, ourselves, and others as God sees them. This means seeing...