The Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises is split into two episodes. This first one focuses on why we walk this particular path on our journey of faith, and not another.
Posts in Lent
Introduction to the Journey of Faith | Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat
Join us for our online preached retreat, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Brian Strassburger, SJ, will guide us through themes of the exercises and offer resources for prayer and reflection. This is the first of six talks that will be...
Tiger Woods’ Comeback Is Not a Redemption Story
Let’s not confuse Tiger Woods’ win at the Masters for a redemption story. Let’s call it what it is: a comeback. As Holy Week teaches us, redemption is about healing and right relationships. This is a sports story. It’s a comeback.
Socrates, Ignatius of Loyola, and Social Media Etiquette
In this Holy Week, I remember Jesus’s words on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” I ask for forgiveness, for the damage that I have caused unknowingly, and I forgive those who have damaged me with their words and actions. Join me as I reflect how an ancient Greek philosopher and a late-medieval Spanish Basque Priest guide me on using social media for the greater good.
In a Field Hospital Church, We Need Healers Like Carlos
Our first meal was at a loud bar with gloriously cheap food. Our second meal was at our beloved parish, St. Ignatius Loyola on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We kept having these two meals over and over again. On Sundays, though, the food didn’t change. His distribution of Communion was never an isolated sacramental act, but the moment that gave clarity to the rest of our encounters. Meet my friend Carlos, a dear friend who helped redirect my life.
First Day Out of Prison: A Modern-Day Parable on Coming Out of the Pandemic and Into Lent
“This whole year has felt like a Lenten penance in the desert, so I’m not thinking about what to give up. Instead, I enter this season replaying images of that day with Javier.” Christopher Alt, SJ, recounts the story of his friend’s first day out of prison and considers what lessons it has for us as we see promises of the end of the pandemic and move into Lent.
Talk 6: I Call You Friends | Lenten Retreat 2022
It is easy to accompany Jesus in the good times, but it’s much tougher to accompany him in hard times. In our Lenten Retreat, David invites us to accompany Jesus in the moments leading to his Passion.
Talk 4: The True Vine | Lenten Retreat 2022
Jesus says that he is the true vine. That must mean there are false vines out there too. In this talk, David introduces the meditation on the Two Standards and reflects on the things that draw us closer or further from Christ.
Talk 3: Chosen to Bear Fruit | Lenten Retreat 2022
Our online retreat moves into the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, when we focus on following Christ who calls us to help build up the Kingdom of God. This call can be exciting and motivating at first, but we can become lukewarm over time. David reflects on advice from Pope Francis and the example of Mary to persevere in faith.
Talk 2: A Pruned Branch | Lenten Retreat 2022
In the second talk of our Lenten Retreat, David reflects on the First Week/Theme of the Spiritual Exercises. The goal in this part of the Exercises is to recognize that we are sinners that are loved deeply by God. David reflects on the difficult, but important process of pruning as he goes deeper into the theme of the Vine and the Branches.