Grace: To experience a deeply-felt gratitude for all of the blessings God has given me, that I may thereby become completely devoted to His Divine Majesty in effective love. Text for Prayer: Spiritual Exercises no. 230-237 Reflection: “Love ought to show itself more in deeds than in words.” -St. Ignatius Loyola, Spiritual Exercises #230 Sin… Read more »

Grace:  To rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Christ our Lord. Text for Prayer:  See below. Reflection: During the Spiritual Exercises Ignatius wants the retreatant to contemplate and reflect upon a number of different appearances of the Risen Lord to his friends and disciples.  Over a period of forty days Jesus… Read more »

Grace: That I may feel intense joy and gladness for the great glory and joy of Christ our Lord risen from the dead. Text: Spiritual Exercises #218-225; #299 Reflection: We now come to the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises and shift our focus to the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord. In this… Read more »

Grace: Gratitude for the many graces and blessings received, and the desire to reciprocate God’s generosity in loving service to Christ the Risen King. Text for Prayer: Spiritual Exercises no. 230-237 Reflection: At the conclusion of Lent and the Spiritual Exercises, we have so much to be grateful for.  Let us recall with gratitude the ways we… Read more »

Grace: To be jubilant because my Lord and friend is alive!  To see Him standing right before my eyes. Text for Prayer: Jn 20:11-29 and Jn 21:1-25 Mary Magdalena weeps outside an empty tomb and mistakes Jesus for a gardener.  The fearful disciples lock themselves inside their homes.  Thomas doubts and Peter doesn’t recognize Jesus… Read more »

Grace: To know the joy of the resurrection as Mary knows it. Reading: John 20:1-9 Reflection: Christ is not dead. He has risen. He is alive. Go ahead, ask Mary of Magdela, or Peter, or the beloved disciple, or the Mother of Jesus. They will tell you the story. Ask them what they saw while in… Read more »

Grace: An intimate knowledge of the many blessings received, that filled with gratitude for all, I may in all things love and serve the Lord. Text for Prayer: Spiritual Exercises no. 230-237 Reflection:  The retreat, as Ignatius envisioned it, is a time of receiving many graces. Ignatius, though, was not content simply with receiving graces; he wanted us,… Read more »

Grace: to be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great joy and the glory of Christ our Lord. Text(s): See below Reflection: The Gospels and other new testament writings provide many accounts of different encounters between the Risen Christ and His disciples.  Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (Mk 16:1-11), Mary the mother of James,… Read more »

Grace: to be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great joy and the glory of Christ our Lord. Text for Prayer: Spiritual Exercises no. 218-225, and 299. Reflection: Today we begin celebrating the Resurrection of Christ Our Lord.  In fact, liturgically the Church considers the entire week that follows, called the Octave of Easter,… Read more »

Grace: An intimate knowledge of the many blessings received, that filled with gratitude for all, I may in all things love and serve the Divine Majesty. Text for Prayer: Spiritual Exercises no. 230-237 Reflection: In the meditation upon sin, we made reference to Dante’s vision of hell, a cold, desolate place where the fire of… Read more »