St. John of the Cross defines contemplation as “nothing but a hidden, peaceful, loving inflow of God.”1 John’s insight that prayer is so often a hidden or secret process is something we are reticent to accept or believe. That our prayer is kept secret, even from us,...
“I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair.” (Evel Knievel) The primary somatosensory cortex and the brainstem nuclei are important regions in our brain that help us generate feelings and emotions. The brain’s complexity...
Why do we sometimes practice religion Even when it means, At times, Substituting and sacrificing In its name A beautiful vision? Immanence All around Immense, And profound. People and Color and Surprise and Laughter and Drinks and Food and Family and Friends and...
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus turn someone away. Jason Quino McCreery, SJ, reflects on the persistence of the Canaanite woman and how we must also be persistent in prayer. Based on the readings for Sunday, August 16, 2020. Sometimes, when we pray to God, we...
On a bitterly cold Thursday night in February of 2019, I was sitting on the ground hanging out with a group of folks experiencing homelessness down by the Chicago Art Institute. I spent most Thursdays this way, as chaplain to the student-run Labre Homeless ministry....
