You Just Never Know

Posted on 03/02/2012 by

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Luke 11:9-10

Over the last several days, my church has hosted what we call a Parish Mission.  Our parish community gathered each night to hear a spiritual talk, and our presenter this year was a retired bishop named Harry Flynn.  He was the Archbishop of St. Paul & Minneapolis until retiring in 2008.  Before he left yesterday morning, he celebrated our early morning Mass, and I had the chance to hear him preach one more time. Continue reading →

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A Prayer To Start Your Day

Posted on 02/27/2012 by

Eternal Lord of all things, I feel your gaze on me. I sense that your mother stands near, and the great beings crowd around You.

Angels and powers and martyrs and saints.  If you help me, please, I would like to make an offering:

I want it to be my desire, and my choice, provided that You want it this way, to walk this earth the way You walked it.

I know that you lived in a little town, without luxury, without great education.  I know that you refused political power.

I know that you suffered: Leaders rejected You.  Friends abandoned You.  You failed. I know.  I hate to think about it.

None of it looks very romantic to me, or very useful.  But it seems to me a toweringly wonderful thing that Your divine majesty might call me to follow after You!   – St. Ignatius

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Lentil Vegetable Stew

Posted on 02/25/2012 by

Hi folks, sorry for posting absence.  I’ve been so busy with many things, and my blogging has suffered :(

I hope you’ll be patient with me as I try and catch up.  Once again I’m turning to the simple lentil for a terrific soup, made even better by the addition of a bit of lemon juice.

I don’t know about you, but there’s something about the vibrancy of lemons that remind me of the summer sunshine.  As winter ebbs away, thinking of the joys of summer is just the thing to keep me going. Continue reading →

Posted in Main Course, Soup On Saturday, Soups and Stews, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Ash Wednesday

Posted on 02/21/2012 by

For most Christians, tomorrow marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance, forgiveness and mercy.

This penitential season leads us to the great feast of Easter, when we remember Christ’s resurrection.

So, why start with ashes?  From Old Testament times (Esther 4:3, Isaiah 58:3, Jeremiah 6:26, Daniel 9:3), ashes have been a sign of repentance.  Jesus spoke of the use of sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13). Continue reading →

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Overcoming Discouragement

Posted on 02/14/2012 by

It’s pretty easy to get discouraged, don’t you think?  I’ve been talking to a lot of people about discouragement lately, and it seems as though it’s affecting just about everyone in one way or another.

Maybe its your health, or finances, or relationships, or work, or your kids.  It could be that you’ve been looking for a job for months, and you get rejected over and over.  Or you might be disappointed with someone who you wished had their stuff a bit more together.  No matter what it might be for you, discouragement can really get us down, and that’s not a good place to get stuck. Continue reading →

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Be Forgiving

Posted on 02/09/2012 by

I was talking to a friend early this morning.  He had forgotten that he made a commitment to his coworker to meet earlier than normal, and the man had to wait for some time for my friend to show up.  He wasn’t happy.

In life, things like this happen all the time.  Sometimes, we’re the person who forgets.  Sometimes, we’re the person left waiting.  It’s these little things in life that seem to drag us down. Continue reading →

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The Dream Manager

Posted on 02/07/2012 by

A friend of mine gave me a great little book for my birthday.  Written by Matthew Kelly, The Dream Manager is a wonderful story of how a struggling company was able to turn things around because they helped their employees achieve their dreams.

Written in 2007 when we were living in better times, I believe the book has even more relevance today, since there are so many who are going through difficult times and might feel that their dreams will never come to pass. Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Inspiration, Mind, Personal Development | Leave a comment