Awareness, Be More and Erin Maiorca
Legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson says, “It is better to be aware than to be smart.” I really appreciate that statement and have come to observe its truth. Awareness is an art that opens up our world. A heightened sense of awareness often makes more of what we know or have learned because it stimulates the power of perception and it fuels concern and interest in the development of almost any topic or situation. Awareness of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are such important endeavors and therefore Awareness is such a spiritual endeavor.
The spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola urges us to BE MORE aware of God’s presence in literally everything.
Greater spiritual awareness through prayer will be a key component to the reflections that Erin Maiorca will offer this weekend at all Masses and then again this coming Wednesday at 7:00pm in church.
Erin has been the Executive Director of the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington for the past four and a half years. Previously she was the Associate Director for 11 years. Prior to her time at Bellarmine she was the Director of Training and Development for LaSalle Network, one of the nation’s best staffing agencies and Executive Recruiters. She also worked as a National Account Coordinator for Aramark, which provides food services, facilities and uniform services for hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and other businesses. Erin has a background in Qigong (pronounced chi-gong, I will let her tell you about that) and Tai Chi. She earned a Bachelors in Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
All of these experiences, and particularly her love of Jesuit spirituality will help us to BE MORE aware of God’s presence among us.
There are many other sources of encouragement to BE MORE. Bernie Rosenthal is one of our long time parishioners and she recently gave me a book by Matthew Kelly titled, “Holy Moments: A Handbook for the rest of your Life. In the book Kelly says, “We crave more because we were made for more.”
As we continue this spiritual pursuit of more in our lives, let us be reminded that God has made us for more. Thanks Matthew, and thanks Bernie.
Reimagining the Examen App
Another significant Ignatian tool is the Examen. This is a simple exercise that leads you through a reflection of your day. There is a free App called REIMAGINING THE EXAMEN. I strongly suggest that you download it. I have been praying with it every day recently. The App gives you almost 40 versions of the Examen that are variations of the traditional Examen that Ignatius crafted 500 years ago.
The traditional Examen includes 8 steps: 1. Get comfortable, relax, take a deep breath or two, ask God to make His presence known in and around you, feel His presence soaking into you; 2. Ask God to reveal all of the graces and gifts of the day and thank God for them all, large and small; 3. Ask God to lead your prayer rather than brooding over mistakes; 4. Review your day hour by hour using your imagination to relive the significant ones and glance over the less important ones; 5. Continue in gratitude, pause at any of the difficult moments, pay attention to missed opportunities, ask God for forgiveness for any times you were not the person God called you to be, let God’s healing mercy and forgiveness wash over you; 6. Ask God to show you concretely how to be the person He is calling you to be tomorrow; 7. Ask yourself if there are any last words you wish to say to God; 8. End with any simple gesture such as a bow, the sign of the cross, the Our Father, or a gesture that you create.
Migrant Assistance
Sue Geegan, our Director of Human Concerns, will collect and deliver items to assist the large number of migrants and those seeking asylum who are currently being housed at Chicago Police Stations. Please see the website for specific items of need. You may drop off items in the east coatroom near the Adoration Chapel through Sunday. Many thanks.