“Might we be oblivious to a gift that God bestows with astonishing regularity in our spiritual lives?” – Fr. Mark Yavarone
“If all we encounter is an unwelcome silence, we might fall into self-absorption and start trying to deconstruct the desert, thus focusing attention on ourselves, when we should be looking at Jesus.” – Glenn Dickinson
“Given the complexity of discerning between consolation and desolation, St. Ignatius also highly valued spiritual direction. A skilled spiritual director can help us navigate these experiences, offering guidance, perspective, and support.” – Jen Arnold
“When we feel strong and consoled in our relationship with the Lord, it is the perfect time to earnestly beg His loving help for times of future weakness, doubt, and desolation.” – Megan Hjelmstad
God gives us the gifts of faith, hope, and love in Baptism. To be rooted in faith and hope and to live out love, we
“One would not expect to find any sort of Divine inspiration in such a scenario as late-night Walmart. But that would be to underestimate the creative ways God finds to crash into our distracted little brains.” – Denise Trull
“The spiritual life, our relationship with God, is eternal and never-ending. Similarly, the Spiritual Exercises have no ‘end’.” – Debra Black
“With Western culture collapsing and many in the Church seeking to adapt the Lord’s teaching to the modern (and collapsing) age, we need to stand firm, not lose heart, and actively resist notions that seek to set aside what the Lord has clearly taught.” – Monsignor Charles Pope
“No matter how blessed a time the retreat was, most of us are not called to live on the mountain alone with God. We have families, jobs, and communities that, whether we like it or not, are waiting for us. The key, I emphasize, is to integrate our experience on retreat into our daily lives.” – Fr. Jeremiah Shryock
Fr. Bill Watson explores how the enemy seeks to thwart our advancement in the spiritual life and gives us tools in detecting his movements.