
Encountering Holy Desire—Asking Love to Wait
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read moreWeekly reflections on Ignatian spirituality, prayer, and the interior life.

We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to reflect with "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and no…
Read more
We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
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We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
Read more
We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
Read more
We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
Read more
We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
Read more
We invite you to consider "Consider This," the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and notici…
Read more
We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
Read more
We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We invite you to Consider This, the 2026 theme for our Into the Deep blog. It is an invitation to move deeper into understanding and noticing what God…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. This blog offering is…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our seventh and final…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our seventh and final…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our seventh and final…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our seventh and final…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our sixth series of t…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fifth series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our fourth series…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our third series o…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. Our second series&nbs…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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We are devoting this year's Into the Deep topics to an overall theme of hope as we align with the Church's Jubilee Year of Hope. In our first ser…
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In our new series for this Advent season, Standing in the Promises, we will reflect on God with us in the Word. Our focus is on the Messianic pro…
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In our new series for this Advent season, Standing in the Promises, we will reflect on God with us in the Word. Our focus is on the Messianic pro…
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In our new series for this Advent season, Standing in the Promises, we will reflect on God with us in the Word. Our focus is on the Messianic pro…
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In our new series for this Advent season, Standing in the Promises, we will reflect on God with us in the Word. Our focus is on the Messianic pro…
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In our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we are focusing on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom have helped us grasp ho…
Read moreIn our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we are focusing on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom have helped us grasp ho…
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In our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we are focusing on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom have helped us grasp ho…
Read moreIn our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we are focusing on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom have helped us grasp ho…
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In our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we are focusing on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom have helped us grasp ho…
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In our series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we will focus on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom has helped us grasp hold …
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In our new series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we will focus on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom has helped us grasp h…
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In our new series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we will focus on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom has helped us grasp h…
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In our new series, Finding Hope When It's Hard, we will focus on how Ignatian prayer methods, principles, and discernment wisdom has helped us grasp h…
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In our series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore one “f…
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In our series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore one “f…
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In our series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore one “f…
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In our series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore one “f…
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In our new series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore on…
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In our new series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore on…
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In our new series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore on…
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In our new series, From Desolation to Consolation, we will explore the variety of ways desolation can appear in our lives. Our writers will explore on…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
Read more
In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
Read more
In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
Read more
In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
Read more
In our series, Christ Has No Voice But Yours, we consider how God helps us to find and use our voices in the world. God sends us forth to others, each…
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We begin a new series this week, Christ Has No Voice But Yours. The beautiful prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila reminds us that Christ has no h…
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We are long past Lent, Triduum, and Easter Day, as we find ourselves in May. Have you continued to savor the joy of the Easter Season as we pray…
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We are long past Lent and Triduum, even Easter Day, as we enter the Sixth Week of Easter. Are you continuing to savor the joy and celebrate the Easter…
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We are long past Lent and Triduum, even Easter Day, as we enter the Fifth Week of Easter. Are you continuing to savor the joy and celebrate the Easter…
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Do you stop and savor the Easter joy as you move from Lent and Triduum to the celebration of the Easter Season? Our current blog series invites you to…
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Do you stop and savor the Easter joy as you move from Lent and Triduum to the celebration of the Easter Season? Our new blog series invites you to sta…
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Do you stop and savor the Easter joy as you move from Lent and Triduum to the celebration of the Easter Season? Our new blog series invites you to sta…
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Do you stop and savor the Easter joy as you move from Lent and Triduum to the celebration of the Easter Season? Our new blog series invites you to sta…
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"Father, Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit"Each week during Lent, our writers have reflected on the last words of Jesus. This week Melin…
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"It is Finished"Each week during Lent, our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus. This week Jean Heaton reflects on Jesus…
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"I Thirst"Each week during Lent, our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus. This week Jen Coito reflects on Jesus' words …
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"My God My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me"Each week during Lent, our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus. This week Liz …
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"Woman, Behold Your Son"Each week during Lent, our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus. This week Monique Jacobs reflec…
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"Today you will be with me in Paradise"Each week during Lent, our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus. This week Mary A…
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"Father Forgive Them"During Lent, or this week as we prepare for Lent, each of our writers will reflect on one of the last words of Jesus.  …
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Psalm 145 - Noticing God's GoodnessThe last post in our series, Psalms of Assurance, for Into The Deep in 2024 reflects on God's goodness.We began our…
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Psalm 62 - God alone is my rockOur next post for our Into the Deep series, Psalms of Assurance, in 2024 is written about gratitude.Each week our …
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Psalm 139 - Search me O God and know my heartOur next post for our Into the Deep series, Psalms of Assurance, in 2024 is written about seeking th…
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Psalm 13 and 101 - God's FaithfulnessOur next post for our Into the Deep series, Psalms of Assurance, in 2024 is written about trusting in God's …
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Psalm 16 - Abounding JoyOur second post for our new Into the Deep series, Psalms of Assurance, in 2024 is written about Joy. Becky reflects on he…
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Psalm 23 - A Psalm of CourageOur first series for Into the Deep in 2024 is called Psalms of Assurance. Our writers will reflect on a grace they seek …
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A Christmas Letter from our Director of Programming, Deena PavinatoI might be a bit unusual, but I love the reading of the genealogy of Jesus on Chris…
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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! Indeed the Lord is near. …
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The prima ballerina entered from stage right, and I felt the pricks of pain in my toe as if it were only yesterday. The silk of the ribbons around my …
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I have to admit, every three years, when I hear the first scripture reading for the first Sunday of Advent, I struggle. We hear, just a few lines into…
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What would happen if we went “all in”? Many of us are familiar with the story Jesus tells in Luke’s Gospel of the woman who placed her last two c…
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My husband and I walked down the aisle way of the plane to a full flight. We were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find two seats together. We we…
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One of my favorite reflections from Servant of God Dorothy Day, perhaps the most influential Catholic individual in my life, says, “We cannot love God…
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Summer 2003. I was packed and mostly ready. Family and friends had helped sort through nine years of life abiding in one of Sachem Avenue’s beautiful …
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As we continue to celebrate the launch of Ignatian Ministries into the world, we can’t help but be reminded how impossible it would be for a reality o…
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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ (Isaiah 6:8) I have a letter…
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Like everything else in this new Ignatian Ministries adventure, it is no accident that this Into the Deep series is about community. While writing thi…
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My kids started a new school year again, but nothing was as it normally was. It was the Fall of 2020 and we were still figuring out how to “do life” d…
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I remember the day so clearly when Jesus promised 153 fish would come on shore. It was early morning in April 2022, and I was sitting on a couch in an…
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It Takes A Village: Forming Community to Found A New MinistryBecky Eldredge does me a great honor considering me a midwife for Ignatian Ministries. A …
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Community – And every day the Lord added to their numbersAs we have discerned all of the various aspects and desires we were holding for Ignatian Mini…
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Offering the Living WaterAt the well Jesus met the woman who was thirsty. We can all identify with the busyness and thirst experienced by the woman at…
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Accompaniment in Hard TimesJesus, are you there?I’ve asked this question more times than I’d like to admit. Sometimes loneliness consumes us in w…
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Inner Chapel CommunityDid I just do that? Did I raise my hand to volunteer? When I volunteered three years ago, I did not realize what I was saying ye…
Read moreMary and ElizabethI shared last week, in my weekly Word From Becky email, how the birth of Ignatian Ministries has felt like living and leading in the…
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Multiplying the Loaves and FishesMy journey with Ignatian Ministries began nearly 23 years ago with a simple invitation from Becky: “Hey Chris! I’ve …
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Alignment“There are no words.” A friend reached out to our prayer group in sorrow yesterday to share that her dear famil…
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - BoldnessShould I stay or should I go? In a job? Where I’m living? In a relationship? Sometimes we come to life-defining c…
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Tasting CourageI am not a very adventurous eater. As a lifelong vegetarian, my options are often limited from the start. …
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Tears of ConsolationIf you are like me, you’ve shed tears of happiness at some point in your lifetime. But have you ever …
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Increase in Love“I don’t know what I am going to do,” my friend Tony slowly shook his head as I inquired about his antici…
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Stepping Forward with Hope in Things UnseenThe idea of hope is never far from my mind. One only has to turn on the TV, vi…
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Increase in FaithI got a text from a young woman that I sponsor: ‘My husband relapsed. I am so angry.’ I texted back, ‘I …
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - Rest in the Peace of God's HandsI’m glad you can’t see me right now. If you could imagine me writing this post, I hope y…
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Consolation Beyond a Smile - What is Consolation?A few weeks ago I was sitting on my bed folding a load of laundry as my children were finishing up th…
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The Need is the Call - How do I Stand in my Call?Over the past few weeks, “Into the Deep” writers have shared their personal stories about following t…
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The Need is the Call - What if I Can't See a Way to Use My Gifts?When I dump out the 500 pieces of a new puzzle, the colors and shapes all jumble toge…
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The Need is the Call - Responding to the Suffering We See With Jesus“Everything you need is in the room.” “Trust the process.” These are the two sen…
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Overcoming the Overwhelm: When a Call Feels Like Too MuchAs people of faith, we have no shortage of spiritual figures to whom we can look as models of…
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Do I Have a Unique Call to Respond?As a high school student, I competed in extemporaneous speaking on our speech team. Most of my classmates were inti…
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Do I Have a Unique Call to Respond?In the Gospel of John (7:25-30) Jesus makes a concerted effort to avoid Judea, because that is where the religious …
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Naming the Needs I See With JesusDoubting Thomas. An entire life is reduced to two words. The upper room with its locked door had become the disciples…
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I have a confession to make. I resist the Resurrection. Sometimes, I resist the very thing I begged God for in prayer. I can think of mul…
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I’ll be honest, Palm Sunday, more precisely “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion,” is my least favorite Sunday of the whole liturgical year. I resist as…
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Before sitting down to write this post, I awoke to a post on Facebook by a family friend on the passing of her mom.
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Surrendering Like JosephFor over four years the idea of creating a course on Ignatian prayer sat tucked away on a long-term dream list. Every now and…
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Resisting Mercy: Connection is the AntidoteWe sat at our gate staring at the monitor. Our plane had already been delayed once. If you’d told me that s…
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Does anyone else struggle with intimacy in prayer? This was not a concept or experience encouraged when I was growing up, and it has been a struggle …
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Holding Down the Sand – Resisting Forgiveness“I’m holding down the sand!” My daughter stamped down the shifting beach sand with all her might, trying …
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Squatting at eye level to see my tiny niece allowed me to hear her more clearly. The whispered voice, warm and moist with a child’s eagerness, played …
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I feel guilty each time I drive through an intersection and see someone with a cardboard sign asking for help. I rarely carry cash. While I know that …
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I’ve always loved new beginnings: the blank slates they offer to me, the invitations to reflect on where I’ve come from and where I hope my path will …
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“Mary Ann, you speak of yourself as a tired sheepdog constantly watching the edges of the field. What would it look like if you were a sheep?” I could…
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How I long for people to understand how their gifts are woven through everything. My gifts work within my personality, my history, my experiences. You…
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The idea of God giving gifts to anyone seemed so foreign to me. I believed God’s gifts were reserved for priests, nuns, saints, and laypeople who devo…
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Like many of you, I find that January is a good time to review the past year, notice hopes and desires that might be stirring, and make some choices a…
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Keep Christ at the Center: Why?We can cite numerous theological reasons to put Christ at the center of life. But I find it quite effective to look at …
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There have been many times I have imagined myself as Mary in a scene from the Gospels. I have imagined almost every feeling she must have had navigati…
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You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. – James 5:8During pregnancy everyone (and their mother) fee…
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I volunteered at the county jail for 5 years. The first time that I was buzzed through those heavy steel doors, I prayed for God to show me how to hel…
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I love celebrating four weeks of Advent plus a full 40 days of Christmas until Candlemas on February 2 – each as their own lovely season. And while I …
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November has had a lot to say to me this year. Light is changing and temperatures are dropping here in Northern Vermont. The iridescent colored leaves…
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On a warm summer evening many years ago, I attended a farewell party for a friend who had discerned a volunteer mission overseas. The evening was mark…
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In the Gospel of Luke (12:22-34), Jesus not only offers his disciples some guidance around trust and faith; there is also an invitation to look at the…
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Golden Moments – The Ginkgo TreeSioux Spiritual Center rests in a hollow held by steep hills, the terminus of a long dirt road near the Cheyenne River…
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I grew up near the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean about 10 minutes from the beach. It was mesmerizing to stand on the shoreline shading my eyes, …
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These past weeks have all been about the search for the “what.” What is God asking of me? St. Ignatius gave us a simple process to know what to do nex…
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In college, I majored in Mathematics. Even though I engage less with Mathematics these days, some of the essence of being a mathematician has stayed r…
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Remember, discernment involves small and large decisions through intentional thought and prayer, an ongoing and dynamic process. Please take time to r…
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In his great wisdom, St. Ignatius gave us realistic, practical, applicable tools that we can use when we’re faced with dilemmas and decisions. When we…
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Ignatian Spirituality is known for finding God in all things and being very practical. There is such a beauty in recognizing God in the ordinary, ever…
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After retiring, I had luxurious time to look back on my life and the surprising twists and turns it held. How was it that an introvert was thrust into…
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There is a tiny chapel tucked away off the stairwell landing at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Cleveland. The cozy space with its comfortable accent cha…
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“You are not the boss of me! You don’t even belong to our family!” I stepped back and took a deep breath. The admonition that poured from the lip…
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Last week, I walked us through the “pre-work” stage of discernment where I talk invite directees to engage in the passive discernment posture of notic…
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St.Ignatius was a prolific writer about discerning greater goods. He offers us the second set of rules of discernment. He also offers us three modes o…
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As soon as the toxic words left my lips, heat spread from my chest to my ear tips. The conversation continued to unravel and I wondered, who was this …
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When we think of discernment and decision-making, it is easy to approach the process with the assumption that one possibility, one opportunity, will s…
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The clock hands keep moving later and later. I step on a monster truck and trip into the couch. Six times before dinner, two times after dinner, and a…
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As far back as I can remember I have saved important stuff for a future need. Saving handwritten letters from my European grandparents on lightweight …
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Desolation is a tricky subject to write about. At least, I think it is. After all, sometimes the spiritual desolation I feel is hard to describe to an…
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Training to run half marathons was second nature to me. The rush of the challenge excited me and running was my prayer time. This is where I had the b…
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I have a friend who had serious time management problems. She was always late. Seriously late. This included Sunday mass, even though she loved the li…
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Don’t let the white hair fool you, I’m not yet 4 years old…in Ignatian Spirituality terms, that is. The thought of writing my first Into the Deep piec…
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There is a large shopping mall near my home. The hallway connecting the stores forms a circle. Unless I find a map kiosk, illustrating a diagram of th…
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Brady completed his first year of high school last week. In the final days of his freshmen year, I watched his tenacity grow as he studied for his exa…
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“I promise, I’m not changing the channel … I just want to hold the remote.”My then 5-year-old daughter’s eyes were big and her voice was a high-pitche…
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I need to apologize to you … I felt like the prodigal daughter who stomped away from a difficult conversation only to be filled with remorse. In …
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“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly.” – Mark 5:25-26My anxiety is hemorrhaging out of me. Over ti…
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We had no beds for our children after Hurricane Katrina. I remember sitting on the curb outside of an old K&B Drugstore that had long closed down …
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Truth be told, I am kicking myself for agreeing to write on this particular topic for this series on Sustaining Hope. A couple months ago when I put m…
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For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. …
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Having just passed the two-year mark from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I spent some time asking myself, How did we ever make it through …
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Sister Columbkill, our substitute teacher, looked around the room of fourth graders. There I sat, spellbound, listening to her story. “Listen carefull…
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This topic deserves its own book, but I will summarize what I see as reasons a person might feel that she or he does not belong to God.A Faulty Concep…
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It was “No.” As clear as day. I had prayed for an answer, and I heard the “No”. I wanted it to be yes… so, so, so badly. I was devastated. I remember …
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“It’s because he has not yet found his people, Gretchen.”This was one line that stuck with me all last year when I was agonizing over switching my old…
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We are us. Belonging to a community means there is an “us” and not just an “I.” Even before I was born, I belonged to an “us.” My twin brother and I w…
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My best friend and I recently spent a long weekend getaway in Michigan. We stopped by a local vineyard to sample the wine and ran into a married coupl…
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When I look back at all that has changed due to the global pandemic, one thing that remained surprising and challenging for me was the drastic change …
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It seems that the Ignatian emphasis on silence and especially the silent retreat is one that either appeals to people or puts fear into them. We reall…
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Have you ever wanted to go to God in prayer, but didn’t feel like you could? Maybe it’s been a while since you have prayed, maybe you’ve said or done …
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There are only a few times in my life in which I have willingly invited myself into poverty. Even when we lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, I stil…
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Ever feel like the quality of your prayer is a bit off? When my regular practice starts feeling dry or stale, or like I’m just going through the motio…
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Have you ever wondered if God really sees you? Have you wondered if God is watching you right now? Have you wondered if God is aware of how much …
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One of my favorite images of God is one that I pray each morning with the Benedictus, “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shal…
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When I contemplated this familiar passage about Mary and Elizabeth to write this post, I found myself lingering on the very first line: “Mary set out …
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It feels like forever since I attended a live music concert! Last week, I stepped into a brightly lit church to enjoy an evening holiday concert for t…
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I am attracted to the Psalms. Maybe this is because one way God called me to deepen my life of faith was through music. I recall a preaching course du…
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Let me have too deep a sense of humor ever to be proud.Let me know my absurdity before I act absurdly.Let me realize that when I am humble I am most h…
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Ignatian spirituality is known for its genius concerning self-awareness. Centuries before psychology emerged as a science, Ignatius understood that pe…
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I bolted upright in bed, my hand clutching my chest. It felt like my heart would beat right out of it. I took deep breaths trying to quiet the thump, …
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My best friend and I went out for a long walk, early on Saturday morning. I talked until I was nearly out of breath, pouring out the details of a pain…
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People dream about moving to a desert island- to “get away” from it all so that they can think. Others think of retreats in far-away places where no d…
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Doing it Ourselves.Nowadays everyone knows the acronym DIY. Need an effective window cleaner? DIY. Challenged by a stubborn stain? DIY. Don’t know how…
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St. Ignatius believed the Examen was a gift from God. This 500-year-old prayer tool is available to all of us- religious and lay, young and old, male …
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Three kids, a pandemic, and nearing the “late thirties” stage of not-so-young adulthood… Suddenly, shopping is not as fun as it used to be. Fall has b…
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There are certain conversations with people that stay with you for years after they occur. There is a conversation I remember having in July 2014 with…
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“Humility” is rooted in the Latin word, “humus”, in earth, soil, and ground. Although occasions of humiliation can lead to feeling ashamed, perhaps it…
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While the baby and I play in the sand, the older kids ride wave after wave into the shore on their boogie boards. My husband stands guard in the shall…
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“Ms. Knobbe, you look the same, but your heart is different.”These were the words from one of my students when I returned from my first encounter with…
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I remember so clearly how the chapel looked back then. It was kinda tiny – a little sliver of a thing parked between two bigger parts of the high scho…
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There are times in my life that the cloud of parenting, change, sickness, or loss has allowed me to wander into places that I do not belong. I have f…
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Have you ever received brutally honest advice that at first infuriated you but later became sage wisdom for your life journey? Several years ago, I w…
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Do you remember Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear making their way to Hollywood in The Muppet Movie? Kermit: Hey, Fozzie, I want you to turn left w…
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You’ve reached the proverbial end of the rope and something must change. “Get out!” you screech at your teenage son. “I’m leaving!” you say to your hu…
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After a particularly difficult day of second grade for my oldest son this year, I was walking him to the car hoping to provide some encouraging words …
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Life as a modern parent is fast! Sometimes it feels like we are rushing through our lives like we are moving through a fast-food restaurant. We don’t …
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“When it is time to leave, you will know, and it will be OK.” The Holy Spirit has a way of placing words on my heart during prayer. I had b…
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With 650 miles of freeway and 22,000 miles of surface streets, Los Angeles County offers an almost unlimited number of roads to travel. I have been kn…
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One of St. Ignatius’s gifts to us today is his wisdom about discernment. What Ignatius first noticed while lying in bed recovering from a severe war i…
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I still remember the moments shortly after my Dad died. I was standing in his hospital room and, with uncontrollable tears running down my face, I rip…
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I had just entered the world of ministry and my desire to serve was deep. Because I wasn’t married or with children yet, I remember devoting every min…
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Creatures have been gifted with different kinds of sight. In addition to seeing blue, green, and red in the color spectrum, birds can also see UV ligh…
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Have you ever seen DaVinci’s work The Adoration of the Magi San Donato in Scopeto?The most fascinating thing about this artwork to me is that it is un…
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“It’s a little harder for me to hike down because I am carrying a squirrel.” When my sister explained the trouble my daughter was having with this “sq…
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When I was young, my parents had a ritual on my birthday. We’d go out to the garage and my parents would measure how much I had grown in the past year…
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“God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta One of the first people I called when I lea…
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As we enter the Easter Season, we also begin our next series, “Growth in the Spirit”. This series will explore the various ways Ignatian spirituality …
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I lived over an hour away when my Dad died. I remember driving with my husband on the long bridge over the Atchafalaya Basin, the longest wetland swam…
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I have found over the years that prayer can be a mixed bag – sometimes it can be easy, straightforward, and abounding in grace. Other times, many time…
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It’s so true what they say: Life Happens. Just when I think I’ve settled into a prayer routine, yikes, life turns me and my prayer life, upside down. …
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Our 1-year-old has obtained the height and just enough dexterity to reach above his head and swipe at things on the kitchen counter. Surprises come ra…
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We have all been there. It may have been an argument, a stressful day, or maybe it was just a bad mood, but we have all said or done things that have …
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Each of us has been conditioned to respond a certain way to wounds—to pain, suffering, disappointment. As a child, you learned that you could go to Mo…
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Today was one of those days where the whole house seemed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I had been awakened at 3am in a bit of a panic as I …
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I could feel the burn deep in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes. If it weren’t for the taxi driver in the front seat, I surely would have scre…
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Everything was fine with my four orchids, daily reminders of good friends. I have a window they like and every Monday I carefully measure ¼ cup of wat…
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I found myself struggling with prayer as Advent began. I didn’t know the cause other than that my personal life was full. Obligations in caring for my…
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These past months I had many internal struggles as I have watched tensions and divisions rise in many aspects of our lives: politically, morally, spir…
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Our call to discipleship can come in many ways. Sometimes God may call us in big ways-a change in career, taking on a leadership role at work or in an…
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In the heat of Louisiana summer, I could smell the mud. The history of organized sin and violence hangs in the air and landed heavy on my skin. In the…
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It was a hectic week ahead – parish visitation reports and check ins, retreat ministries’ board of directors meetings, advancing research projects, fi…
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I never expected love to look like this. The week before Christmas my adoptive family surprised me with an early gift. I teased them, “Is this so…
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Over the Christmas break I picked up a very old habit – drawing. I think the last time I tried to really draw something other than a quick sketch of a…
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“Tell God to rewind the day. I want to try again.” My four-year-old daughter sobbed uncontrollably in the parking lot of her preschool. After a mishap…
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In today’s Gospel Jesus is calling Simon, Andrew, James and John to be disciples. It is a very fitting passage to introduce our next series, Disciples…
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November 20, 2020 marked the one-year anniversary of my Dad’s unexpected death following complications from a routine surgery. On the eve of this firs…
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In the crisp winter air with the warm sun shining down on us, we celebrated Mass outside. We were standing outside, some of us in the grass and some i…
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Jesus said to his disciples:Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did…
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Every year as Christmas stories are retold, I’m drawn to the nativity, deepening themes that surfaced before. Preparing for this Into the Deep contrib…
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Oh what now? Who could be knocking on my door at this time of night?There is truly no rest for the weary, I thought. I’ve had a long, hard day, prepar…
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For many years, I spent a portion of December on mission trips to Nicaragua. Even now, Advent conjures up images of a rural mountain village, where ve…
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As the calendar year draws to a close and Christmas looms large before us, the Church begins a new liturgical year. Instead of focusing on all the dec…
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Don’t give up on yourself because I will not give up on you. This simple phrase to me is the most important “yes” I have ever had to say in mothe…
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The season of Advent is a season of understanding God’s love for us. It reminds us of God’s enduring presence in our lives through the centuries of ou…
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Perhaps you are familiar with your local Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP). But did you know that the non-profit charity is present in 150 countri…
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Saints are holy people. To be a Saint is to participate in, and to be an image of, the holiness of God. I love our Catholic tradition of recognizing S…
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There are several saints’ feast days on November 19, but today I’m drawn to one especially: Blessed Salvatore Lilli, 1853-1895. He was a Franciscan mo…
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Saint Hildegard of Bingen, a Doctor of the Church said in her book Causes and Cures, “Humanity, take a good look at yourself. Inside, you’ve got heave…
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“Are You With Me, Church?” I was first introduced to Sister Thea Bowman by my classmate Beverly Ann Stewart, a long-time minister and health-car…
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Maria Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in a small town outside of Milan, Italy. Being born prematurely, she was a petite and sickly child.…
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It was December 2017, less than a month after my son first received his hearing aids. We were taking a very last minute family staycation in a hotel i…
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On a crisp April morning the kitchen was as crowded as the living room. People gathered close, sitting in twos or threes on the stairs with paper plat…
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Dear Friends, I am writing this letter just two days before I head on my annual eight-day silent retreat. By the time you read this, I will actua…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God un…
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This month’s blog series is “Uniquely Created” Last month we spoke about Gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to be the person God uni…
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Today, Becky introduces October’s blog series, “Uniquely Created.” Last month we spoke about gathering the graces. God graces us with all we need to d…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors wi…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors wi…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors wi…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors wi…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors wi…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors w…
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This month’s blog series is “Gathering the Graces”. St. Ignatius invites us to ask God for a grace each time we pray. This month, blog contributors w…
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This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today …
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This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today …
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This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today …
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This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today …
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This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today …
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Our next blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today Char…
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Our next blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus. Today Kath…
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Dear Friends, I hope you are each doing well! I also hope you enjoyed getting to meet our new team of writers. As I read each woman’s story, I fo…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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During our first Into the Deep blog series “Drawn to Ignatius” members of our writing team will tell us the ways Ignatian Spirituality has informed th…
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Dear Friends,I am in a moment where I simply stand in awe of God. I feel pulled further into the expansion of Mystery, yet, here I am writing today to…
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