It looks like Maryland will luck out and not get hit too badly by the big freeze that’s gripping the country. Just some freezing rain and a little snow later tonight. I’m looking forward to spring 🙂
But before the warm weather comes, I’m going to be leading my first Making All Things New Retreat at the end of January, and I have a lot to do to make it a powerful experience for everyone coming.
Well, we made it. 2014 is here, and I hope and pray that it will be a great year for everyone.
I don’t know about you, but I have several resolutions that I plan to work on this year.
A big one is to finish up my doctoral studies and be ready to graduate in the spring of 2015. I purchased some software recently that I hope will help me reach this huge goal. I hope they work like they’re supposed to 🙂
As we wait out the last few hours of 2013, it’s hard not to pause and think about all the changes that have taken place over the last 365 days.
It’s been a year of joy, and excitement. Lot’s of good memories and hopes fulfilled.
It’s also been a year of sadness, of loss, and unrealized dreams.
Yesterday was an amazing day for me. It was amazing because of encounters I had with three amazing men who have made big impacts on the people around them.
In the afternoon, I met up with a friend and we went to visit an elderly priest who now lives in an assisted living facility. My friend and I got to know this priest many years ago, and he provided us and countless others with great spiritual advice.
I for one continue to be impressed with Pope Francis. Just the other day, he was photographed hugging and kissing a man who clearly had a very debilitating skin condition. Without a doubt, the man would be treated as an outcast by most by many, and maybe some of us would avoid contact with him at all costs. But not the new pope.
I have two beautiful dogwoods in my backyard (no, this isn’t them), and this fall the leaves turned a wonderful butterscotch color. Just gorgeous.
Well, as each day rolled into the next, I kept saying to myself that I had to go out and take some photos to share with you.
At the beginning of my Ignatian Retreat last weekend, I received a folder which included an outline of the retreat and a tip sheet on how to get the most out of our silent time together.
I know from personal experience that silence during meals, when everyone is sitting together, can be a big challenge. It’s hard not to ask the person sitting across from you how they are doing, or to pass the salt.
I had the chance to get away for a retreat this weekend, and ended up at
Loyola on the Potomac, a retreat house I had heard about for years but never visited.
The theme of the retreat was Rivers of Living Water, which was perfectly suited for the location of this center, which is in Southern Maryland and sits above the Potomac River. What a peaceful place!
Way back in March, I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about retreats. The focus was on helping people find retreat experiences where they could get away from everything, have some quiet time, and get recharged.
What surprised and saddened me was the fact that there wasn’t a single reference to Christianity or Christian retreat centers.
Of course, I’m biased in this direction, and I also know that for over 2,000 years, Christians have made their way to the desert, the mountains, beaches, and quiet urban places to encounter God. For centuries, Christians have practiced meditation, mindfulness, and silence.
Today, July 31st, is the Feast Day of St. Ignatius, who went home to God on this day in 1556.
There’ are other sections of this blog that go into great detail about this man, the religious order he founded, and his legacy of the Spiritual Exercises.
I came to know St. Ignatius several years ago through the kindness of a Jesuit priest who gave me some books on the life of this Saint.