Learn More about the Spiritual Exercises

Remember, no comments will be posted until Friday when I return from retreat.

Going on Retreat -- No Comment Moderation until I Return.

I leave today for my annual 5-day silent Ignatian retreat so no comments will be posted until I return on Friday. I will be praying for you all and hope you will pray for me as well. Generally I schedule some posts for while I'm gone. I didn't get around to doing much of that this year and probably won't before I leave. But I may put up some links to the Spiritual Exercises.

 God bless you all and have a great week.

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola have changed lives. I urge you to look into whether there is a retreat offered near you!

Social Justice: What is it Anyway?

Is this the path to social justice?

Ah...so much to study, so little time. I've been wanting to research "social justice" for a long time. It's become the mantra of liberals who seem to define it as open borders, abortion on demand without apology as a civil right, and "free" everything from health care to college. Social justice is social-ism in their vocabulary, government-enforced redistribution of income to make everybody an equal comrade.

Liberals always talk about taxing the rich, but end up robbing the pockets of the middle class to achieve their goals. As my dad used to say, "There just aren't enough rich people!" The real target must be the massive middle. And, of course, capitalism in their book, by nature, is evil, which it certainly can be when it exploits workers making them wage slaves. But socialism does exactly the same thing by its nature! The worker is nothing but a mere creature of the state, a cog in the government machine.

But what is social justice...really?

Reflecting on the Upcoming Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Scourging by Rubens

While I was on retreat, I kept thinking about Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. The third week of the Spiritual Exercises consists of meditating on Jesus' suffering and death. As I was reflecting on the events of the passion, I kept seeing images from the movie. The slow motion scene of Veronica ministering to Christ especially came to mind because I was also reading Cardinal Sarah's The Power of Silence. There was Veronica in the midst of all that turmoil and chaos perfectly silent and at peace as she reached out to Christ in love and compassion. The Roman soldiers didn't exist for her at that moment. It was as if she lived in another dimension of silence, her eyes and whole attention focused on the face of Christ. Yes, true internal silence can reign in our hearts in the midst of exterior tumult!

Yesterday someone sent me a powerful video interview with Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Christ in the film. That movie was a life changing event for so many. I think I will watch it again on the Feast of the Sacred Heart this Friday. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart make my heart like unto Thine. Make me, in the words of St. Teresa of Avila, a "burning furnace of charity."

Sunday Meditation: Back in the Saddle, but moving slowly...

Jesus is always there for you, even in the darkest moments.

Remember when Peter, James, and John were on the mount of the Transfiguration and Peter wanted to make tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah and remain there? That's the way I feel after retreat. Five days of silent Communion with the Lord and His Mother was a little bit of heaven, and I confess I wasn't eager to return to the valley of tears or, in the words of the Spiritual Exercises, to the plain around Babylon where Satan and his minions are gathered. All I had to do to see the smoke and smell the sulphur was to turn on my computer and read what's been happening in my absence.

Like Peter, I wish I could plant my tent on the mountain top and stay there.

Prayer Requests? I'll Take Them on Retreat

Be still and know that I am God.

I'm going on a five day silent Ignatian Retreat starting Monday evening and ending Saturday. I will leave some posts scheduled to appear while I'm gone, but won't be moderating any comments. Please be patient; I will moderate them on my return. The only comments that will post will be those written by my colleagues, Susan and Chriss, who have the authority to post without moderation.

When I'm on retreat I always pray for the intentions of my readers and for all the challenges troubling our poor Church and our even poorer world. I look forward to the silence and peace that accompanies these days to seek the Lord's will in my life and for this little media apostolate! My motto for this retreat will be to fulfill the vision of the prophet Micah: to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with the Lord.

Leaving on Retreat Today: Life is Hard, Treat it with Prayer

My annual five-day silent Ignatian retreat using the Spiritual Exercises begins this evening so I will be pulling the plug on all my gadgets: no phone, no computer, no TV, no social media -- just five blissful days with the Lord and St. Ignatius. It's a great week to go since we celebrate the feasts of St. Peter and Paul and St. Irenaeus, one of the Fathers of the Church. I will be in their spiritual company.

Know that I'll be praying for all of my family, friends, and those who read my newsletter and blog whether you are fan or foe.

What Are the Spiritual Exercises?

There are many types of retreats, but the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola are unique. They represent a formal pattern based on four "weeks" of meditations beginning with God's love for us and our own attachment to sin that hinders us from responding. Most of the retreat involves meditating on the life of Christ from the Incarnation to the passion to the resurrection. Each "week" involves praying for a particular grace -- for example the grace of sorrow and tears as we reflect on Christ's passion and what our sins cost the Lord of the Universe, and the grace of great joy at our Salvation as we ponder the resurrection and Christ's opening the gates of heaven. You can read more about the Spiritual Exercises here. And if you are interested in more there's a wealth of information here. I hope you go browsing to learn more about this great spiritual method of growing closer to the Lord through meditation and contemplation on the life of Christ. St. Ignatius, pray for us.

Retreating Today on a Journey to the Truth

Every spiritual retreat is a journey to the truth. I start a five-day silent Ignatian retreat today. What an opportunity to reflect on the truth or rather on  THE TRUTH who is Christ Himself. I look forward to the next five days of prayer and meditation using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Any posts you see during this time were scheduled in the last few days before I left. And, obviously, I won't be moderating any comments during this time. What I will be doing is praying for all those who visit my website and blog, all my family and friends and all those who have touched my life thus far. What a host of people come to mind (both friend and foe) when I consider that list. I will be bringing you all (living or dead) on retreat with me, asking God's particular blessing on you. May he bring us all merrily to heaven on the last day. God love you, as my mother used to say. He does, you know.

Post Retreat Reflection

Join the army of Christ! 




Oh, what a challenge to return to the world after five days of silence praying and meditating with the Lord. But, of course, that's the reason for a retreat -- to live more fully in the world but not of it, serving God and bringing Him souls. Which brings one immediately to the point -- the $64,000 question so to speak. Who will you serve? Jesus Christ, King of King and Lord of Lords or Satan, prince of this world and liar of liars?

Going on Retreat

I'll be gone from this afternoon until Friday afternoon attending a five-day silent retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. I'll be praying for all my blog visitors while I'm gone. Please pray for me as well.

I've scheduled some posts to run each day, but comment approval will be delayed until my return. So don't take it personally if your comment doesn't get up right away. I'll be posting comments Friday evening while I'm experiencing the culture shock of returning to our noisy world.

God bless you all! Please pray for me