Reflections from Our Directors
Holy Week during a Pandemic
We have all been living an extended Good Friday through the challenges of the Coronovirus with all the fear and uncertainty and a myriad of additional emotional responses to it. We have watched people’s income be significantly impacted, we have additional concern for...
The Presence of God…in uncertain times
Gospel John 11:39-45. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the...
Vernal Equinox Reflections: day to day desolations and consolations invites gratitude.
On this March 19 first-day-spring, I too am secluded at home with my husband, “social distancing” ourselves from others by avoiding all sorts of venues where people gather. Inconvenient? Yes. Annoying? Often. Frustrating? Most of the time. Fearful? No doubt. Stressed?...
Letting Go of “Supposed To”
I just finished Elan Mistai’s novel, All Our Wrong Todays about time travel and parallel consciousness, and one of the lines late in the book cracked me open. Mistai writes that if there’s a point to the book, it’s this: “there’s no such thing as the life you’re...
Lent and COVID-19
Since I was a child Lent has been a time to focus on some aspect of my life that needs improvement, discipline or at least attention. When I was young I gave up a candy (never made it through the whole 40 days); several years as a young adult I attempted daily mass;...
Desert Musings
by Linda Cherek I just returned from a one-month road trip through the Southwest and California. We saw multiple deserts and were amazed at the variety of desert landscapes. Spending time in the desert allowed time for me to reflect on Jesus’ moments in...
Mortality and What Matters Most
Maybe it’s because I work in hospice that I find the season of Lent to be a beautiful time to not just reflect on Jesus’ death but to contemplate and plan for our own. We start this season each year by hearing the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you...
PRAYER SHAWLS: Everyday reminders of God’s love, compassion and mercy.
While busy with fall closet cleaning at Loyola, I came across three beautifully knit prayer shawls! What a pleasant surprise! Those three shawls immediately raised up in me powerful memories of my own experiences with prayer shawls…warm reminders of how God loves us...
Be Mindful of What You Wish For
There is sometimes (often?) irony to be found in the reflectiveness and goal-setting of January. I rang in the New Year bemoaning how creatively on-fire – to the point of agitation – I was in 2019 for a vision that has met only roadblocks. Then today, I came across my...