As I write this post, my absentee ballot is sitting next to me, still blank. There are Catholics who say the choice is simple. There is only one issue that matters. But the stories I heard suggest it is more complicated.
Posts in Spirituality
Did You Know? Boring Prayer is Good Prayer.
I am far from the only person who has ever been frustrated by prayer in which “nothing happens.” In fact, I hear this quite regularly from people sharing their spiritual lives. We want to experience our prayer as we do almost everything else: productively. We wish to finish a time in prayer feeling that we have accomplished something, learned something, moved forward, or used our time well.
What I Missed the Most in Quarantine
It took two weeks of monotony and uncertainty to realize what I really relied on. And in my most recent quarantine, I experienced what millions around the world have been going through since March. And it’s something I pray we can all return to again, in person, to celebrate the ultimate celebration.
One Moment for One Thing: Learning to Discern Your Emotions
Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ, once again invites to consider another “One Moment for One Thing.” Let us discover how to get in touch with what we feel while examining our heart and soul to more clearly experience the greater glory of God in our lives and in the world around us. Pray with us once again as we move towards a deeper and clearer relationship with ourselves, hand-in-hand with God.
An Updated Resource: the TJP Curriculum Guide
TJP has an updated resource to share! Last Spring, we debuted the TJP Curriculum Guide. This guide includes articles and videos published by TJP, organized into twenty different themes, with hyperlinks to the content. This can be useful in classrooms, for retreats, for faculty formation, or however else you might find helpful. Check out the list of themes and download the updated TJP Curriculum Guide.
Catholic 101: Planning a Catholic Baptism
You’re having a baby! Congratulations! We’re here to help you answer a few questions about Catholic baptism. How do I plan a baptism? How do I choose godparents? What happens during a baptism?
What the Prophetic Words of Jeremiah Call Us to Today
America first! Black Lives Matter! Law and order. Structures of oppression. Amid the turmoil of our world today, the words of the great Old Testament prophet Jeremiah continue to speak to us. What does he call us to today?
My World May Be Small, but the World Is Still Huge
Eric Immel, SJ, writes: “I spent more time in my room these past nearly six months that I had the previous, say, four years combined. The same is true for the number of times I’ve washed my hands. I’ve high-fived less people in the past nearly six months than was typical for me in a day pre-COVID, and I cannot count the number of times I’ve wanted to yell at people for getting too close to me, which I don’t think I’d ever thought to do before in my life.” Eric takes us on journey of a small world that opens up to something larger than previously thought.
Transcendence: A Poem About Becoming More Fully and Authentically Human
When I take a more honest look at life, with its’ beauty, and also its’ darkness and suffering, I’m drawn to see the meaning of seeking something that transcends worldly pleasures or pursuits, even the willingness to sacrifice those things. And I want to affirm this desire to “transcend” is not an escape from reality, nor is it inhuman. It is rather a call to become even more fully and authentically human concretely in the world. Chris Williams, SJ, invites us to see this transcendence in his newest poem perfect for prayer and reflection.
Sometimes I Wonder, What If the Bread Changes but We Don’t?
It happened when I served as a Eucharistic minister at a large suburban hospital over five years ago. When I walked into his room, he looked like anybody’s grandpa. I can still see him lying there: a 90-some-year-old man with smallish frame nestled into the middle of the recliner bed, a tuft of white hair atop a wrinkled but happy-go-lucky face, the flimsy-knit, standard issue hospital blanket pulled up just under his chin. Read as Christopher Alt, S.J. reflects on the Eucharist and our everyday life.