"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8 The Grace of Gratitude In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, he reminds us that the first sin Pride comes from not being grateful. All things we have are gifts from God who is our Creator. Pride comes from not living in the reality that we were created. We are created to love and serve God in this world with our whole mind, soul and st ..read more

"Eh? What's that? (Said the Professor) Yes, of course, you'll get back to Narnia again someday. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you're not looking for it." When we moved to Delaware almost four years ago, I felt like the Pevensie children leaving Narnia for the first time. I took my theology students through the wardrobe to help them relate to the coming of the Messiah, Paschal Mystery and Jesus Christ. The Chronicles of Narnia quickly became a vehicle for understanding ce ..read more

ANIMA CHRISTI Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Separated from Thee let me never be. From the malignant enemy, defend me. At the hour of death, call me. And close to Thee bid me. That with Thy saints I may be Praising Thee, forever and ever. Amen. SUSCIPE Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I retur ..read more

The Spiritual Exercises journey is a structured prayer experience. St. Ignatius offers some helpful advice to those making the Spiritual Exercises journey and we are wise to listen to his counsel. "If we seem to be going through a drier period and 'nothing' seems to be happening, our faithfulness to a definite prayer time is a sign of our faithfulness to God." John A Veltri, S.J. The following guidelines of St. Ignatius help to develop a rhythm and pace for prayer which can be adjusted as the retreat goes on. 1. Time of Prayer: Commit to setting aside time each day, preferably at the same tim ..read more

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” I often ask my dad when he will send me the manual for raising children. I can usually count on a witty response such as, "I am putting it in the mail today!" We had this joking banter a few days ago. I told my dad that my son would turn ten years old this year, and I asked him to speed up the process and get me that manual. I am still waiting of course. I am constantly reflecting on fatherhood and raising children. So I tuned in to Monday morning Mass when I heard the Gospel. The Gospel included a story about Jesus and a father whose child was po ..read more

"I am created to praise, love, and serve God." In the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius invites us to pray over the 1st Principle and Foundation. He presents us with a road map for life, of who we are, our purpose and destiny, and how best to live our lives to achieve that end. In this prayer exercise, we reflect on our fundamental vocation of being a person created by God, made in His Image and Likeness, created with particular gifts and aptitudes to use for giving glory to God, as we co-labor with Him in building the Kingdom. Begin Each Prayer period: A. Beginning your praye ..read more

A Self-Directed Retreat: To Know, To Love, To Follow In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius proposes meditating and contemplating Gospel scenes. In Ignatian Contemplation, we use the active imagination upon a particular event in Jesus' life. The Gospel story serves as a guided imagery context for the imagination. Gospel Contemplation involves images, feelings, and thoughts. St. Ignatius suggests that we use three points: See, Listen, and Consider. See the different persons (SE 106). Listen to what the persons are saying (SE 107). Consider what the persons are doing (SE 108). In considering ..read more

A Self Directed Retreat The Desired Grace: I pray for the following grace: A deep felt awareness and appreciation of how God has been present in my life. At the beginning each prayer period, offering yourself to the Lord. Prayer of “Teach me to see you” "Teach me to seek you, And reveal yourself to me as I seek; For unless you instruct me, I cannot seek you, And unless I you reveal yourself to me, I cannot find you. Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you let me find you in loving you; Let me love you in finding you." A Prayer of St. Anselm of Canterbury A. Rememberi ..read more

“With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary, are led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ, and to experience the depth of his love.” Saint Pope John Paul II A Self Directed Retreat By praying the Rosary, we gaze upon the life, ministry, passion, and resurrection of Jesus as Mary did, thus opening us up to receiving the mystery of the Trinitarian life. In praying the Rosary, we remember Christ, learn from him, unify with him, pray to him, and proclaim him with Mary. Format 1. Read the Mystery to Understand and construct the scene in your mind. (See) 2. Read the M ..read more

What constitutes a theological understanding of the Christian Life as “contemplation in action?” How do we as persons become more united to Christ so that we can be more aware of God’s presence in us, before us, and in the midst of our everyday lives? How does the Christian practice of prayer serve to foster more contemplative lives? Union WIth Christ British poet Evelyn Underhill describes the contemplative eye as one that sees as a “spiritual artist” (1) what God is disclosing. Underhill emphasizes that central to seeing what God is revealing is a personal relationship with God. “We know a ..read more