Ignatian Spirituality

Seven Simple Spiritual Practices

Editor’s note: Celebrate the 10th anniversary of IgnatianSpirituality.com with us. For 10 weeks, we’ll be “Counting the Gifts of Ignatian Spirituality” by bringing you special content on our website and special offers from our sponsor, Loyola Press. Learn more here. There are no magic numbers related to spiritual growth, but sometimes it helps to make a list just to simplify our goals. There are hundreds of spiritual practices, but I’m listing seven that are fairly simple. Please try […]

Spiritual Practices in the Daylight

Vinita Hampton Wright

It occurred to me many years ago, when I was in college, that I spent a lot of time and energy looking for spiritual insights. I was always on the hunt for what God had to say to me. I stayed alert for new information, new ways to pray and conduct myself. However, I’d already amassed quite a fortune of spiritual insights. I’d been in church since childhood, attended countless retreats and seminars, and actively […]

Longing for a Shorter Ride

Catherine Brunell

I pushed a double stroller and followed Batman and a ballerina on their training bikes today. The course is tricky for a training bike, because without the proper velocity, the biker gets stuck between the missing pieces of the neglected sidewalk. The training wheels rest on the solid ground on either side of the gap while the bike wheels spin through the puddles. My Batman and ballerina pedal faster in these moments and cry, “Mommy, […]

The Danger of Excessive Spiritual Practices

Jim Manney

St. Ignatius, writing to Jesuits in Portugal, about the problems with spiritual disciplines that he deemed excessive: The first is that God is not really served in the long run, as the horse worn out in the first days does not as a rule finish the journey, and thus it happens that someone must be found to care for it. Second, gains that are made through such excessive eagerness do not usually endure, as Scripture […]