Talk 1 of our online Holy Week retreat asks the question “Where are you?” and explores St. Ignatius’ secret to the purpose of life.
Posts in Spirituality
Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat in the Ignatian Tradition
Join us for a week-long online retreat for Holy Week 2021.
Poem on Temptation and Victory: Nailed and Unnailed Hands
Feeling overwhelmed by your temptations? Michael Martinez SJ shares a personal poem and reflection that can help us process this internal tension between temptation and victory in our daily lives.
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.
Something I Never Thought About, Jesuits as Plastic Surgeons?
Throughout my four years as an undergraduate pre-med student, and my seven years as a Jesuit walking the path to become a physician, I never considered a career in plastic surgery. I was in new territory this past December during my third year of medical school when I found myself spending one month as part of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery team.
The Year of St. Joseph: Five Essential Lessons for Humanity
During the Year of Saint Joseph, what does this silent saint have to teach our hurting and divided world? Michael Martinez SJ reflects on five of his important lessons for us today.
What’s in a Name, Anyway? Finding Solace in Our Patron Saints
Names are powerful. I had a professor in college who I have gotten to know well since I graduated, and I still cannot call her by her first name. Conversely, I have graduate professors who insist I call them by their first names. Then there’s my local parish priest back home whom I call “father” because nothing else fits. Names, what we call people, matter. Read how the names of Saints can inspire our lives.
Ignatian Hip-Hop: “Radical Prayer”
Have you ever prayed with rap music? Michael Martinez, SJ released a new album, “Worship Real”. The album’s fourth track, “Radical Prayer,” explores the question of how a deeper prayer life can lead us to live our Christian calling more radically.
A Year of Lockdown: SSRIs and Grace
While none of us can compare our suffering in the past year, we can learn a lot about grace and love through both King David and depression medication.
Sometimes I Sit Inside the Fog of My Prayer
The morning is gentle. I’ve come at the perfect time to sit and pray near the old living room windows. The sign of the cross, coffee on the window sill, closed eyes. I’m opaque inside today. I pray about yesterday. And sometimes my prayer isn’t always clear.