The Other Brother

  AMDG I, an expectant retreatant, to you, my friends. I think it was in reading Fr. James Martin, SJ’s My Life with the Saints that I first heard about the “spiritual exercises” of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Fr. Martin recounted making the exercises as a novice at the retreat center in Massachusetts, giving me vivid images of the Atlantic ocean beating on grey, rocky outcroppings and shelves of books waiting quietly to sing praises to God. These exercises, called “the heart of the Jesuits,” would continue to show up in the narratives of Jesuits and non-Jesuits as I explored Catholic culture. You can read about them here , but suffice to say the exercises are more than your typical retreat. 30 days deep, they are real quality time with God, a period to tune your inner ear finely to that still, small voice and to give it your whole attention. And under the guidance of St. Ignatius of Loyola, they are a journey with landmarks, lessons, and decisions. In 2018, a newsletter from Ig...

AMDG   I, a simple traveler resting in the shelter of Christmas, to you, my brothers and sisters. I wish y ou a restful and awe-filled celebration of the coming among us of our God.   Since the US presidential election, I have heard repeated th at p eople “just don’t understand” each other , nor do they demonstrate interest in understanding. I also hear a theme of reversal s: Biden reversed Trump’s policies, Trump will reverse Biden’s policies, and everyone is planning how to undo  each other’s hard-won victories in four  or eight m ore years. What wearies me , perhaps because my spirit recognizes it as the true leviathan of our tim e, is the dearth of love. It’s like we’ve lost the desire or intention to see one another as beloved brothers and sisters. Through the first three weeks of Advent, I was thinking about the pillars of Hope, Peace, and Joy. These brought questions and consol ations, but I was missing something. The fourth week brought clarity: Love...