Author: seedthrower1

Last week, I had the blessing to attend a workshop  at Monserrat Retreat Center just outside Dallas.  The presenters, Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ, and Carol Atwell Ackels, happen to be the authors of a twelve week Ignatian Retreat I’m using right now with two groups.  Having been looking for a long time for  a resource for those not able to commit to a multi month 19th Annotation format, Finding Christ In The World, has worked great for the needs of those I’m presently leading.

At the beginning of the year, and by chance, a friend of mine happened to learn of the workshop, Roots Seeking Water, and mentioned it to me.  I jumped at the chance to attend, and was grateful another brother in the Lord was able to join me.

Now, the friend who told me about the workshop has just begun delving into Ignatian Spirituality.  As it happened, a longtime friend of mine sat next to him on a plane last summer, and they got to talking.  He was a seeker and somehow the topic of Ignatian Spirituality came up, and somehow,  my longtime friend mentioned that he had a friend (me) that maybe our new friend should talk to.  I could go on and on about the fact that God was distinctly at work, and one thing led to another and then, there I was at the retreat center on Lake Dallas, listening to Fr. Tetlow, one of the world’s leading experts on the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  The teaching of both Fr. Tetlow and his co-presenter Carol was unbelievably clear and so helpful to me.  When I left on Sunday, I felt like my own spiritual roots were deeper and stronger than they had ever been.  Such a gift!

I love the fact that our God is a God of surprises.  He makes unexpected connections, with people He as always wanted us to meet, so that we can become the people He has always wanted us to be, so that we can in turn share the Good News with others.  All these connections lead to conversion, transformation, and new life in Christ.  Be on the lookout, because God just might have a surprise for you today, or maybe it will be tomorrow, or the next day…. But surely it will come.

On March 17th, the feast of St. Patrick, it seems the whole world is Irish. And that’s a good thing. Remembering that Patrick was a holy man who lived a saintly life, there’s much more to celebrate than our modern day parades and green rivers. Here’s a prayer attributed to him, worth praying today. God bless the Irish!

I BIND TO MYSELF TODAY

The strong virtue of the Invocation
of the Trinity:

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the Incarnation of
Christ with His Baptism,

The virtue of His crucifixion with
His burial,

The virtue of His Resurrection with
His Ascension,

The virtue of His coming on the
Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the love of seraphim,

In the obedience of angels,

In the hope of resurrection unto
reward,

In prayers of Patriarchs,

In predictions of Prophets,

In preaching of Apostles,

In faith of Confessors,

In purity of holy Virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven,

The light of the sun,

The brightness of the moon,

The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,

The swiftness of wind,

The depth of sea,

The stability of earth,

The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today

God’s Power to guide me,

God’s Might to uphold me,

God’s Wisdom to teach me,

God’s Eye to watch over me,

God’s Ear to hear me,

God’s Word to give me speech,

God’s Hand to guide me,

God’s Way to lie before me,

God’s Shield to shelter me,

God’s Host to secure me,

Against the snares of demons,

Against the seductions of vices,

Against the lusts of nature,

Against everyone who meditates
injury to me,

Whether far or near,

Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues

Against every hostile merciless
power

Which may assail my body and my
soul,

Against the incantations of false
prophets,

Against the black laws of
heathenism,

Against the false laws of heresy,

Against the deceits of idolatry,

Against the spells of women, and
smiths, and druids,

Against every knowledge that binds
the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today

Against every poison, against
burning,

Against drowning, against
death-wound,

That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ at my right, Christ at my
left,

Christ in the fort,

Christ in the chariot seat,

Christ on the deck,

Christ in the heart of everyone who
thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who
speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation
of the Trinity,

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

Over twenty years ago now, I read Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, and I loved it. By that time in my life, I had been to Italy several times and had become enchanted with the people, the history, the art, the food, the list could go on and on.  Through Mayes’ book, I found out about the Tuscan hill town of Cortona, and it sounded so wonderful I added it to my itinerary for my next trip.  I wanted to see the piazza she lovingly wrote about, along with the house she restored, Bramasole.  The name struck me.  It means “to yearn for the sun.”  When I did make it to Cortona the following summer, I was not disappointed!

As I’ve written on this site over the years, to me, sunrise is one of the most spiritual times of the day.  Being a morning person since childhood (how that came about is a long story!), I’m almost always awake and moving, coffee in hand, before the sun sweeps over the horizon.  I try to see the sun’s first rays every day.  To me, that movement, which in reality happens so quickly, is a massive reminder that there is so much in life outside our control, and that every day we are alive is another day to make a fresh start, to be that person who God calls us to be.  Yesterday is already in the past.  We can’t change a thing about what happened yesterday, but we can have a mindset of making today matter.

Although you might find it odd, today is one of my favorite days of the year.  Ben Franklin came up with the idea of daylight savings time.  You might remember him from his saying, “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”  Well, daylight savings time didn’t really take off in the United States until the 1960’s, but now it’s pretty common everywhere.  In addition to the change of our clocks, our days are getting longer.  In case you missed it, they have been since December 21st, just before Christmas. 

Friends, like it or not, here comes the sun.  Right now, as I type these words, it’s still dark out and there’s no sign of what’s soon to come up over the horizon.  As the name of Frances Mayes’ home in Cortona reminds me, I yearn for, not only the sun, but also the Son who makes it all happen.  Make today matter, folks and make it a great day.

I love the way St. Ignatius opens his Spiritual Exercises, one of the great works of Christian Spirituality.

It’s hard to believe the season of Lent is upon us, starting tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. As you may know, this season is a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Here are some resources to help you spiritually throughout Lent.  Growing up, the Lenten journey of forty days seemed to drag on forever, and my mom dutifully took us to Stations of the Cross each week, right after our fish stick dinner (I had a grilled cheese).  For some reason, a visiting priest of Polish descent always seemed to  be the presider for our weekly pilgrimage around our church,  commemorating Christ’s passion and death.  As I recall he did not have a good singing voice, so when he belted out “Where You There,” the windows shook.  Actually though, I love these memories of childhood, and enjoyed being an altar server for stations.

I remember hearing a priest ask the congregation once why Catholic churches always have Stations of the Cross hanging from the walls around the church.  His answer has always stuck with me, and every Lent I ponder what he said, now decades ago.  “Everybody goes through difficulties in life, and for some, it may seem like no one could ever have it worse.  But with the Stations, we can look to our right or to our left, we can look forward and sometimes even behind us, and we might realize that Jesus, through his passion, had it worse than we could ever imagine.”

Over the years, the stations have become consoling for me, especially during tough times.  What that priest said all those years ago still resonates with me, and I hope they may be for you as well.  Christ, through his passion and death, offered himself up willingly for all of humanity, and that includes you and me (Philippians 2:5-11) . It was a gift beyond comprehension, a sign of God’s infinite love and mercy towards us.  Lent is a perfect opportunity to focus on how we have responded to this gift.  Let’s use the next forty days wisely, prayerfully, humbly walking through the desert with our God.

For those who are looking for an Ignatian Guide for lent, one of my favorites is the Ignatian Workout For Lent by Tim Muldoon.  Here’s an online version from Loyola Press

Let’s pray for each other over the next forty days, that our Lenten pilgrimage through the desert will bear fruit, fruit which will last.

For many years, I was the reader on Thursdays at my parish’s 7:00 Mass. From time to time the day’s psalm was Psalm 95, and every time it popped up in the liturgical calendar, I took the words to heart.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert. There your ancestors tested me; they tried me though they had seen my works. Forty years I loathed that generation; I said, ‘This people’s heart goes astray; they do not know my ways.’ Therefore I swore in my anger: ‘They shall never enter my rest.’

What challenging words! When I was preparing to recite them before the congregation, I always, and prayerfully, reflected on the hardness of my own heart. Was my life pleasing to the Lord, or was I like so many in the world, constantly trying the God’s patience and mercy by stubbornly living life on our terms, rather than His?

My friends, life goes by in a flash. We are here one day, and gone the next. Where is God in your life right now? Are you making an attempt to hear God’s voice, and what does your response look like?

My prayer for you today is that you take a pause, and examine the spiritual health of your heart. Has your heart gone astray?  Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of adults in the United States today? I think many also have spiritual heart disease, and that diagnosis, my friends, has eternal consequences.

 Let today be the day that you begin making those changes necessary to protect and strengthen your heart, both physically and spiritually. Let This Be The Day!

I have to admit, winter is not my favorite season.  I’m a spring and fall kind of person, but there are some things I just can’t control, no matter how hard I try.  The seasons and the weather which comes with them are things I simply cannot control. Last weekend, I was leading a retreat in Maryland, and we had to end sooner than expected because a winter storm was bearing down on the retreat center. With the prediction of several inches of snow, many retreatants decided to head home, leaving just a small group of die-hards wanting to stick it out.  Being the leader, I decided to stay too, and I’m so glad I did.

As the snow began falling, a peace also fell over the center, and our little group talked, prayed and ate wonderful food, prepared by a dedicated staff.  Some of us ventured out, enjoying the snow as it came down.  Together and individually, we experienced God’s loving presence and when we were finally able to leave, we felt so blessed and renewed.

For those of you living on the East Coast, you may know that our winter forecast includes the return of the Polar Vortex, something I for one am not looking forward to.  The last one helped create one of the most snow-filled winters I had ever experienced since moving to Maryland nearly thirty years ago.  We’ll see what happens, but I must admit that I can’t wait for spring!

I recently came across a blog post written by Vinita Hampton Wright, and she writes about three ways to Find God in Winter. In her simple style, she lays them out: Use the opportunity for deeper prayer; Explore other sources of joy; Identify winter-worthy opportunities to serve.  As we move into the deepest part of winter, please take a few minutes and read Vinita’s post and then pray about how, in addition to her three ideas, you might think up a few of your own as we all go about Finding God throughout this winter season.

I led a retreat this past weekend, and wanting to have the retreatants try some healthy and easy recipes, I made one of my favorites for them to sample.  Everyone loved it, but unfortunately, I left my recipe handouts at home.  In order to make things easier, I told them that I would repost the recipe on my blog, and here it is.  Lentils are almost a perfect protein, easy to prepare and inexpensive.  Give this recipe a try, especially during these cold winter days.

Lentil Marinara

Serves 6

1 jar (26 oz) tomato-based pasta
sauce (I used Wegman’s “Grandpa’s Sauce Goes Vegetarian”)

1 12 oz. bag Wegman’s frozen Mirepoix (diced carrots,
onions, and celery) or 3 fresh carrots,

diced, two medium onions diced, 2 stalks celery diced

2 tb olive oil

1 cup dried lentils, picked over,
rinsed and drained (I used regular brown lentils)

1/2 cup dry red wine (or low sodium
vegetable broth)

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

In skillet, sauté Mirepoix in olive oil over medium heat
until onions are translucent, about ten minutes.  In heavy pot, heat six cups water to boiling.
Add lentils and bay leaf and reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered for
15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Remove from heat, drain and discard bay leaf.  Return lentils to
pot and add mirepoix, tomato sauce, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes,
covered.  If sauce becomes too thick add some of the pasta water.

You might try something different and serve this delicious
Marinara over spiralized veggie noodles rather than traditional pasta.

This sauce is tastier the second day.

(recipe adapted from Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for
Reversing Diabetes)

Since this past summer, a  Scripture passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians has kept coming up in my prayer, and I think it presents a vision for living out 2019 with hopefulness and optimism.  I’ve mentioned this thought to several friends, and they agreed, so I wanted to share it with you.

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

St. Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians while in prison, and he wanted the Christians in Philippi to know that he saw all the hardships he was experiencing as his opportunity to share in the sufferings of Christ.  I think the encouragement flowing from this passage can be a great companion for us this year, especially as we struggle to overcome the difficulties which will surely come our way and strive to be the people God calls us to be.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that St. Ignatius drew great consolation from these words of St. Paul.  As he recovered from the battle wounds which nearly took his life, Ignatius realized that he wanted to do more for God and devote his life to Him.  Ignatius felt called to travel to the Holy Land, an arduous trip in those days.

On his way to the port of Barcelona, Ignatius wanted to get right with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  His first stop was a monastery high in the mountains. That’s the monastery you see in this photo.The Benedictine monks settled on Montserrat in the ninth century, and their monastery home has been known for centuries as a place where pilgrims can come to pray.  St. Ignatius,  with his leg still not fully healed, climbed up this rugged mountain and stayed several days, meeting with a holy monk who offered just the spiritual help and healing Ignatius needed. Of course, there is much more to this story, but for today, we’ll leave it at that.

So, as we continue to move through the first month of 2019, I think it important to ask ourselves about the goals we have set.  For some, they’ve already given up and they are right back where they were.  In fact, statistics show that most people give up on their New Year resolutions/goals within weeks.

But, what if this passage above could be our grounding for our desire to persevere with what we set out to do?  I know for me, I love the idea that Christ is walking right beside me as I go through my day, to both challenge and encourage me.  How much more could I accomplish if I realized Christ is right there to give me strength?  Ignatius would add, I think, that whatever it is we hope to do and achieve this year, our main desire in those things must be to do more for God.  If we accomplish what we set out to do, let God have the glory, not us.

If you have a list of goals for 2019, go back and pray about them.  Where can you find God in them?  How can God be glorified in your successful accomplishment of them?  Let’s spend the next week prayerfully considering these questions.  The Lord who gave St. Paul strength, who gave St. Ignatius strength, is our Lord too.  Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  Let’s choose our 2019 goals wisely through prayer, and then surrender them to the Lord.  Tell him that you want to achieve these goals, not for your benefit, (although you will certainly benefit, maybe in unexpected ways) but for his glory.  God will give you the strength to do anything, if you ask.  If we do this, I have great confidence that when we arrive at the end of 2019, we will ask ourselves how was it we had such little faith.  For when the Lord gives us the strength, all things are possible.

I’m excited to be offering several Ignatian retreats in 2019, and I’m grateful to once again partner with Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, MD where they will be held.  Although the best options are the weekend retreats, my day retreats throughout the year have become popular and are a nice option for those who just want to check out how some key Ignatian spiritual practices can strengthen their relationship with God and improve their lives.  To register, please click here to link up with the Bon Secours website.  I hope you’ll prayerfully consider joining us on one of these upcoming transformative retreats.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at paul@makingallthingsnew.com.

 Let’s make 2019 the year we get back on track so we can do more for God!

Feb. 23 Prayer Walking/Rules for Eating- This day-long retreat will focus on ways we can improve our health, both physically and spiritually.  Walking is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to exercise and when we add prayer, great things happen!  St. Ignatius of Loyola integrated rules/guidelines for eating into his Spiritual Exercises knowing that for many people, paying more attention to what and how they eat can help their spiritual life. This retreat is led by Paul Gallagher.

May 17-19  The Ignatian Way- This weekend retreat provides retreatants with some key Ignatian spiritual practices which can help them grow in all areas of their lives.  This retreat is led by Paul Gallagher and Nancy Marshall-Bickel.

Aug. 17   Everyday Discernment- St. Ignatius was a master of discernment, both for big and small things.  We know that even the smallest decisions can have an impact on our lives.  Come join us as we learn what discernment is, and how an Ignatian framework for making decisions can benefit everyone. This day-long retreat is led by Paul Gallagher.

Nov 15-17  Making All Things New- This is our signature weekend retreat, based on my doctoral work.  We’ll spend our weekend looking at the connection between spirituality and health, primarily through the lens of Ignatian Spirituality.  We also integrate healthy eating, cooking and prayer walking sessions into our time together.  This transformative retreat will include an opportunity for retreatants to participate in a twelve week online retreat starting in January, 2020. This retreat is lead by Paul Gallagher and Nancy Marshall-Bickel.

“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in this paths.”  Isaiah 2:3