Category Archives: Ignatian Spirituality

Waiting for the Eternal

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

Soon after my eight-day retreat, I queued up the last five blog posts so they would be published while I was away on vacation. It felt good to know I didn’t need to have another post ready until August 24. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Alex Rossi, Blues, Brews and BBQs, Esther Hizsa, Foggy Beach, Habitat for Humanity, Harrison Street, jen, Living from the Heart, Mike Maguire, Miss Myra and the Moonshiners, Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Prism, Ron Frehner, SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | Leave a comment

A Doorway

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 5 Father Roshan picked up on the theme of finding the lost and assigned me the story of Zacchaeus for one of my prayers. I took the despised tax-collector’s place. However, in my story, everyone was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Mystical, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections | Tagged 8 day retreat, Chris Chiu, Divine Union, Eric Magnuson, Esther Hizsa, John 14:20, John 17:20-21, JSAV, SoulStream, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, The Dark Night of the Soul, The Open Door | 1 Comment

Seeking and Finding the Lost

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 4 On Day Five of my eight-day retreat, Father Roshan invited me to pray with a few “Joyful Mysteries.” In the first, I relived a wonderful visit with our now 36-year-old son and his wife. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged 1 John 4:18, Esther Hizsa, Good Samaritan, Luke 10:27-35, Luke 15:11-31, Prodigal Son, Renaud Camus, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Thomas Hawke, William-Adolphe Bouguereau | 1 Comment

O That You Would Vanquish My Fears

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

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 | 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 | 1 Comment

Don’t Do a Thing

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

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 | 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 | 2 Comments

Encompassed with Love

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

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 | 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 | 1 Comment

Tossed About

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I think I’m doing fine until a miscommunication leads to a last-minute pick up from Sure Copy. Piles of photocopied class notes for the Living from the Heart course cover our dining room table. Hurriedly, I check, count, and paperclip each … Continue reading →

Posted in Homelessness, Ignatian Spirituality, Reflections, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged compassion, Dustin Gaffke, Esther Hizsa, Leif Harboe, Living from the Heart, Pacific Ocean, Psalm 116:6, Scott Anderson, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, stormy sea, Wednesday Lunch Club | 2 Comments

An Old Memory and a New Reality

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

“Where did you accept God’s invitation to be loving, to be grateful, to be yourself?” Father James Martin asks in his Daily Examen podcast. Wow. God wants me to be myself–unselfconsciously, unapologetically, gloriously me. What does that feel like? Like the girl … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Always Be Yourself, Consciousness Examen, Esther Hizsa, Examen, Funkybug, James Martin, Joy Is Measurable, Martin Hricko, Norman Foote, Pure Joy, Romans 8:31, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | Leave a comment

God Sees Me

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

All of a sudden, I was the boy in the story. I heard Jesus tell the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” While they stood there perplexed, I made my way through the crowd and offered Jesus my uneaten … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Mindfulness, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections | Tagged Contemplation of Place, Esther Hizsa, Feeding of 5000, John 6:1-14, Luke 9:12-17, Mark 6:31-44, Matthew 14:13-21, Michael D. O'Brien, Prayer of the imagination, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | 1 Comment

I Love You More than Anything

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I love You more than anything. And when I am in my right mind I know this to be true But You know it all the time. —Rob Des Cotes If actions speak louder than words, mine wouldn’t say I … Continue reading →