Sir Karl Jenkins’ composition Benedictus evoked something very deep from the experience of the Mass and showed a way through the Covid-19 pandemic. As challenging and frightening as Covid-19 is as it grazes some and destroys others, we are…
Tag: spirituality
Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and A Few Miracles, by Rivvy Neshama
From dancing to forgiving, from walking at dawn to sharing dinner with a stranger, Rivvy Neshama invites us to find the sacred–in unexpected places and everyday life. These short true tales are magical yet down to earth and filled with…
Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History, by Janina Ramirez
This brief historical introduction to Julian of Norwich explores the social, political and religious factors that formed the original context of her life and writings, and considers how those factors affected the way she was initially received. The second part…
Rites of Justice: The Sacraments and Liturgy as Ethical Imperatives, by Megan McKenna
Megan McKenna explores the connect between walking with God and participating in the rituals of the church. Using stories, reflection, Scripture and Church history, she leads us to a deeper understanding of Catholic sacraments and ritual. Her reflections show how…
Henri Nouwen: His Life and Spirit, by Kevin Burns
This innovative new biography by Kevin Burns will remind readers why they loved Henri Nouwen’s books years ago and provide a welcome guide to his spirituality, introducing one of the most important Catholics of the second half of the 20th…
The Way of Suffering: A Geography of Crisis, by Jerome Miller
This book can best be described as an extended meditation on suffering, phenomenological in method and dialectical in point of view. The angle the author takes is that of moral self-examination rather that conventional scholarly inquiry, and his aim is…
Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless, by William Lynch
Lynch says he bases the book on two assumptions. First, he believes whatever is ill with the mentally ill is human. Second, he says that the well can put off the impossible burden of trying to be as well as…
Blessed Among All Women: Women Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time, by Robert Ellsberg
Winner of three Catholic Press Awards. The best-selling author of All Saints presents this new collection of devotional sketches on history’s greatest women. From Joan of Arc to Anne Frank to Mary Magdalene, Ellsberg offers insights into the lives of…
Self-Donation is not Self-Mutilation: The Spiritual Practice of Attention to Others
Self-donation is the spiritual practice of attention to others. It does not refer to any sort of self-mutilation or injury but rather to the self-control and self-knowledge that allows one person to be attentive to another person. In this post,…
Seeking God, Decision-Making and the Ignatian Examen, by Susan Mahan, PhD
A blog post presenting the Ignatian Examen as a useful tool in the spiritual journey. Peace and freedom are both hallmarks of a good relationship with God, as well as essential characteristics of good choices when decisions must be made.…
