Where have you experienced God in the ordinary moments of life? William A. Barry, SJ, explored that question in his book, Experiencing God in the Ordinary. To encourage people to think about finding God in all things, some less-than-obvious, Loyola...

In terms of the Spiritual Exercises, one critical goal of writing a spiritual autobiography is to recognize God’s action in our past: God’s presence, grace, and gifts to us. If you have done the exercises of Part 1, then you...

Last month, I attended an online funeral held for William Barry, SJ, a well-known Jesuit spiritual director and author who recently went home to God. The eulogist, Bill Russell, SJ, spoke beautifully of the shape of Fr. Barry’s life...

Every year for the past few years, I have chosen a word of the year. I do not have an elaborate process for choosing this word. Most of the time, the word comes up in my writing and reflection...

St. Ignatius understood the importance of reviewing one’s life when he built this practice into the Spiritual Exercises centuries ago. His emphasis was to help a person identify past sins and so to make a detailed confession during the...

What is your hope for 2021? Maybe it’s that life will go back to normal. Maybe your hope is to return to an “in-person” life. Maybe your hope is for a boring news cycle. Is your hope for community? Or...

This is the octave day of Christmas, dedicated as a solemnity to Mary, the Holy Mother of God. The Gospel invites us to join the shepherds as they visit the newborn child in Bethlehem, and to share in their...

O Lord, I am Yosef. I am David's son, heir to your holy promise to make of this people a great nation. But I am small and I am afraid. You have spoken to me in my dreams. I am where you...

With the pandemic disrupting so many holiday plans, our family’s generations may be separated from each other physically. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t still connect with extended family in meaningful ways during this last week of 2020. For...

“How blessed are we all, that one child was born, How blessed are we all on this great Christmas morn!” —The Shepherd’s Story by Jimmy Dunne Enjoy “The Shepherd’s Story Song” as our special musical gift to you. May you have a Merry Christmas and...