BLOG
Most of my Retreats are now  at www.IgnatianRetreats.com

The Eight Desires Examen Dr. Karen Shields Wright   “ Our lives are shaped by the things we desire.” Thomas Merton   “Our hearts are restless until they can find rest in you.” Augustine  of Hippo Reflection- Desires and Wounds In the book Seven Desires by Mark and Debbie Laaser, they list seven desires, those deep yearnings found within the human heart. They are: to be heard and understood, to be affirmed, to be blessed, to be safe, to be touched, to be chosen, and to be incl

By Dr. Karen Shields Wright When asked an Evocative Question When I was new to spiritual direction, I found many of the questions my spiritual director would ask me, frankly, a bit odd. For example, one of the common contemplative evocative questions asked by a spiritual directors is: “ What is happening in you?”  Where to begin and to even answer such an inquiry sent me into a quandary. “ In me ?”  Why are they asking that ? What does that have to do with prayer ?   Neverth

Spiritual Direction in the Journey of Illness Person As Patient: Though I stand at heaven’s gate, holding onto a remembrance yet feeling far from it waiting for a miracle, within the chalice of pain I encounter God as my brokenness longs in longing to be redeemed from this immanent of experience. Person As Spiritual Director Caregiver: Traveling into the inner world of unknown darkness of another, I hold onto the light of life, keeping a vigil listening for the far off rumble

Spiritual Direction in the Journey of Illness ERIKSON’S STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT My personal notes and notes taken directly or paraphrased from John Shea’s Illness and the Quest for an Adult Faith ( Spiritual and Psychological Aspects of Illness. Ed Beverly Musgrave et al.) Uncovering where is the person in their development is by listening within one’s narrative for key elements and what areas of ‘virtues’ to support. 1.  TRUST VS MISTRUST Birth to age one Learn from your mothe

CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, SIGNS OF EXISTENTIAL & SPIRITUAL DISTRESS EXISTENTIAL & SPIRITUAL CONCERNS   •      Identity - unclear sense of who I am and how one fits into the world, conflicts between the self and different aspects of oneself as it relates to others (Relatedness). •      Freedom - Blurred or confusing boundary between the experience of free will and the external forces and the complex array of alternatives (Autonomy). •      Isolation -a longing need to feel and be conn

Spiritual Direction in the Journey of Illness Person As Patient: Though I stand at heaven’s gate, holding onto a remembrance yet feeling far from it waiting for a miracle, within the chalice of pain I encounter God as my brokenness longs in longing to be redeemed from this immanent of experience. Person As Spiritual Director Caregiver: Traveling into the inner world of unknown darkness of another, I hold onto the light of life, keeping a vigil listening for the far off rumble

Spiritual Direction in the Journey of Illness* Series  Suggested Scriptures in the Journey of an Illness For The Person as Patient ·            “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9  ·           “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ” John 16:33 ·           "Even now I find my joy in the suffering I am door for you in

(A 6-Part Series) From: Spiritual Direction in the Care of the Sick PREFACE Illness and injury are universal human experiences. Whether through our own suffering, that of a loved one, or in accompanying a directee or retreatant, each of us will be touched by physical vulnerability. Hospital chaplains often meet patients at a critical juncture—sometimes only once or twice—while hospice chaplains walk closely with those nearing death. Spiritual directors, however, may accompany

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius A School of Prayer for Encountering God, who is Love loving as Self-revealed in Jesus Christ ​...

Louis J. Puhl, SJ's translation from Original & Fr. Timothy Gallagher OMV's summary. SE 313 Rules for understanding to some extent the...

"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the...

Prayers by St. Ignatius