Merry Christmas! It is upon us.
And there is so much to be grateful for.
I’m grateful for all our many retreatants – many of whom I recently spoke with during our phonathon.
I’m grateful for the new kinds of retreats we’re offering for those who before had no place to make retreat.
I’m grateful for our expanding youth ministry that ministers to six thousand young people.
Congratulations to Pam Elsass on her retirement after 26 years of service to the Jesuit Spiritual Center. Pam served as business manager and hospitality coordinator. Pam brought great wisdom and expertise to her many areas of responsibility. All of us at the Jesuit Spiritual Center thank Pam for her outstanding dedication and commitment to our mission. Truly she will be missed by all of us! Her laughter and calming presence were gift to us all! We ask our Loving God to bless Pam abundantly as she begins this new journey! We wish her happiness and many fun times!
Each of us has role models and mentors in our life who we strive to emulate in our everyday life. For me it is whose people who have taught me how to find God during the peaks and valleys of my life journey. These people who have touched my life and helped me grow in my faith are the unnamed saints.
Pope Francis in one of his homilies shared that “everyday saints” are “men and women who put into practice the love of Jesus.” Yes, let’s look around us for people of hope who radiate God’s love.
A few months ago I decided to create a playlist on Spotify called “For praying.” It’s a collection of songs that I’ve found prepare my heart for reflection and prayer, everything from contemporary songs by Matt Maher and Tenth Avenue North to Gregorian chant to the Taize choir. It’s easier for me to pray when I’m in the right frame of mind and heart, and I’ve found that music is a great way to create that space within me. If you’ve ever struggled with getting started in prayer or feeling scattered or distracted, try playing a few minutes of music before you start. It might help!
Another season of the NEXT Internship is upon us at the Jesuit Spiritual Center! The youth team is so excited to work with and form our three interns for the 2016-2017 season, and we are all excited to give you glimpses into our lives as a youth team here on this blog once a week. You’ll see everything from reflections on retreats, thoughts on scripture, videos showing what we do for fun, and much more. We’ll kick things off by allowing our three interns to introduce themselves. You’ll learn more about them, our full-time team, and the work that we do as the year continues!
“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” (Bill Nye)
If everyone you meet knows something you don’t, then you should learn something from everyone you meet. Even from the people who are only in your life for one brief encounter, and especially from the people you spend time with regularly.
I can say with certainty that I have learned a ton from my Youth Ministry team.
