About Esther Hizsa
Esther is a writer, spiritual director, and cofacilitates contemplative retreats and courses. She lives in Vernon, B.C. with her husband, Fred.
My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 3 On the fourth day of my eight-day retreat, Father Roshan asked me to pray with three “Sorrowful Mysteries.” The first memory that returned to me was the day our son, who was sixteen at the … Continue reading →
Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections
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Tagged 8-day prayer rereat, Angel of Healing, Anne Davis, Archangel Michael, Esther Hizsa, Guido Reni, Hebrews 13:5, Ignatian prayer retreat, Sorrowful mysteries, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Susan Lordi
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My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 2 “I don’t enjoy praying for a whole hour,” I admitted to Father Roshan on the third morning of my eight-day retreat. His eyes widened for half a second. But he didn’t question me. He just … Continue reading →
Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections
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Tagged abide, Daniel Ladinsky, Esther Hizsa, God's love, Hafiz, Just Sit There Right Now, Luke 12:22-31, Luke 7:36-50, prayer retreat, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver
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Hi fellow pilgrims, In the next five posts, I will share with you some of what I experienced on my eight-day retreat. I will be posting them on Mondays and Fridays from now until August 17. As you begin, I … Continue reading →
Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections
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Tagged 8-day prayer rereat, God with us, Ignatian prayer retreat, Isaiah 43:1-3, Nan C. Merrill, Psalm 139, Psalm 23, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver
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Today I am on the last day of my eight-day retreat. So I offer you this post from 2015 which illustrates the loving God I am retreating with. “You can’t catch the Macdonald bus here,” a man says to me at … Continue reading →
Posted in Mystical, Poetry, Popular Posts, Stories
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Tagged #22 Macdonald, Advent, Creation of Adam, Daniel Ladinsky, Esther Hizsa, He Desired Me Sio I Came Close, Love Poems from God, Sistine Chapel, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila
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Last week’s post reminded me of a previous post I wrote a few years ago. Here it is again. Fred and I have been attending an Anglican Church in our neighbourhood. For Lent we joined a group that has been … Continue reading →
Posted in Reflections, Stories, Wednesday Lunch Club
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Tagged Anne Yungwirth, Blueberry, Brian McLaren, Burnaby, Esther Hizsa, freedom, Hannah Nieman, Matthew 23:20, Shame, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church, We Make the Road by Walking, Whitney Thore
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God is in all creation–including us–just by virtue of the fact that we were created by God and of God. In the beginning, there wasn’t anything else but God to create us with. We were made in the image of … Continue reading →
Posted in Creation, Reflections
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Tagged compassion, Esther Hizsa, Eve Chan, Najat, Philippians 2:13, sexual abuse survivors, spiritual director, spiritual director Vancouver, sunflower. sunflower sprouting, wholeness
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Hi everyone, I led our contemplative groups’ monthly retreat in June and this is what I used. For instructions and guidelines to help you lead a DIY, check here. May you be blessed as you open yourself to God in … Continue reading →
Posted in Prayer, Prayer Retreat Outline, Reflections, Resource
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Tagged Alana Levandoski, Anthony de Mello, awareness, Bark Cabin Natural Area, Coco Love Alcorn, Esther Hizsa, Felix Culpa, John Philip Newell, Nicholas A Tonelli, pilgrimage, Reza, Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Steve Bell, Sunrise, Susanne Nilsson, The River, Vulcan Stream
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It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here, right now with its aches and its pleasure, is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, and fully alive. — Pema Chodron … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Creation, Overeating, Reflections
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Tagged 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Calgary Community Services, Esther Hizsa, No Body Is Perfect, Pema Chodron, Permanence (2015/16), SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, Zhang Dali. Rob Oo.
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See the whole universe, not only as something to love but as something that can love you back. –Pierre Teilhard de Chardin As many of you know, I have a Christmas cactus in the room where I pray, write, and … Continue reading →
Posted in Creation, Homelessness, Reflections
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Tagged Alice Popkorn, B.C. Housing, Burnaby Now, Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness, Christmas Cactus, dgozgozz, Esther Hizsa, Lauren Boothby, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Psalm 27:14, Richard Rohr, seasons, Sitting in Silence, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver
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In my post “Releasing Reality,” I referred to Anthony de Mello’s counsel to let our suffering end our suffering. How does that work? Suffering reveals my siren gods. It reveals the alluring attachments that toss me about. Suffering helps me notice … Continue reading →
Posted in Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections
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Tagged 2 Peter 1:3, Anthony de Mello, attachments, awareness, Coco Love Alcorn, Esther Hizsa, Herbert James Draper, Luke 5:1-11, Matthew 7:9-11, Psalm 16, Psalm 17:15, Psalm 27:13, Richard Rohr, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, suffering, The Naked Now, The River, Ulysses and the Sirens
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An Everyday Pilgrim 