Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Grace Upon Grace

Mid-September has come and gone, and the Loyola Institute for Spirituality is once again abuzz as the year’s activities get under way. Within this past week, the classes in the Ignatian Spiritual Formation Program and the Equipo Latino Americano (Hispanic Spiritual Leadership Program) have begun, and a total of sixty-eight people have begun 19th Annotation retreats that will run until mid-June. And the staff members of the Loyola Institute continue to meet with men and women seeking spiritual direction. August was surprisingly busy for all of us. I helped direct three retreats: an 8-day retreat in Encino and 6-day and 4-day retreats in Rancho Palos Verdes. Sometimes when I begin to direct others in a retreat or begin to teach a class I have a brief sense that I am giving something to others or imparting some knowledge or doing something that will enrich their lives. That sense quickly dissipates, however, as I listen to others speak of what God is doing in their lives or when I see it in their faces – and I realize, once again, that I am in the presence of God at work in the world, and I am taking away far more than I have given. One of the great graces of working at the Loyola Institute is the daily encounter with God in the lives of those to whom we minister.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Welcome!


Dear LIS Friends,

Welcome to our new blog! At the heart of Ignatian spirituality is the invitation "to encounter God in all things." And so here we are, discovering God and one another's wisdom in cyberspace. Our blog will offer ongoing reflections on Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises from our Staff and LIS Associates. Br. Charles Jackson, S.J., Associate Director, is the blog editor and Cindy Galvez, Office Manager, is the blog designer. There will also be an opportunity for anyone to comment and we welcome your reflections. To maintain the spirit of our blog, comments will be checked first by our blog editor before being posted. We hope and pray that this will be a fruitful resource for all of us which will lead to some interesting conversations and will further LIS' mission to foster Ignatian spirituality, to support multicultural lay leaders, and to encourage people in deepening their discipleship with Jesus Christ. Please let us know if you have any feedback or creative ideas for our new blog. May God bless each of you as we serve Christ's mission of healing and reconciliation for our world.

Gratefully in Christ,
Fr. Stephen J. Corder, S.J.
Executive Director