Where has July gone?  I'd like to say I've spent most of it at the beach, up in the mountains, someplace where I'm called to slow down and relax.  Well, my July hasn't been that.  I've been super busy, but I hope the results of all this activity will bear fruit in the future. First off, I've been working on my health. If you follow this blog, you know that my favorite...

Each year, my friends and colleagues at Loyola Press offer a wonderful gift to those devoted to Ignatian Spirituality.  For the entire month of July, which ends on the Feast of St. Ignatius, daily updates will include articles, blog posts and videos to help you gain new/deeper insights into the spirituality which developed out of the life of this great saint.  You'll find everything ...

Do you remember the movie, Dead Poet's Society?  I was a teen when it came out, and there was a lot in the film which struck me.  Sometime back, I showed just the beginning of it to my religious ed. class, the part where Robin Williams had his class gather around the trophy cases in the school hallway.  He told them to move in close and listen intently.  Did they hear...

Summer is a great time to learn something new, or get deeper into an area you want to learn more about.  A group of friends and I are into your second week of The Ignatian Workout by Tim Muldoon.  I've read the book before, and knew that this group of friends, who I took through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius last year, were looking for a fresh approach.Right from...

This past weekend, I had the blessing to make a retreat at Eastern Point Retreat Center in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Once the stately home of a New York Stock Broker, the main house of the Center was built in 1921, and is was created for parties. Big parties. It must have been amazing to be a visitor there during those days. Now, it provides a serene place to spend time, spiritual time. On...

I was at Bon Secours retreat center yesterday, hoping to recharge after a long month.  May has been great, with graduation, family visits, and good times with friends.  I also said goodbye to a good friend who died too young from cancer.  Life's journeys have plenty of twists and turns, and sometimes we loose our way and spend a lot of time and energy trying to get back on...

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves stuck and unsure of the changes we need to make in order to get to where we want to go.  More often than not, we try to make these changes on our own, without a guide and/or tools.  In those situations, we might make the changes necessary, but they are often short-lived and we fall back into old habits, finding ourselves right back were we started,...

He has risen indeed!

I was telling some friends recently that I'm amazed at how quickly Lent flew by this year.  It came during the intense time of preparation for the final stage of my doctorate, so I'm guessing that may have had something to do with it, but as I talked to people, they had the same experience.  Maybe it's that we're all just too busy.  Today is a day for quiet reflection.  It...

As providence would have it, I had the chance to spend a few days last week working at a conference in Ocean City, Maryland.  I've stayed at the particular hotel a number of times, and I'm sure it was chosen by the sponsors because every guest room is ocean front.  I took this photo the morning after I arrived. Even though it was cold and windy, I still sat on my little balcony to...