Category Archives: Poverty of Spirit

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I can’t spend a whole week on retreat with a holy God and not be confronted with my sins, I thought. Yet every time Sylvester assigned scriptures for me to pray with, it never came up. I started to believe I was going … Continue reading →

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As Good as It Gets

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I don’t get to enjoy my spiritual growth spurt for long before I’m made aware of more shortcomings. And not imaginary ones either. I’m talking significant habits that drive people up the wall. My first reaction is to cocoon, my second is to draw … Continue reading →

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She Who Hesitates

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I was ten kilometres into my ride on a sunny January day, when I got a flat tire. I searched my bike’s panniers, but the levers weren’t there. Without them, it would be impossible to fix the flat. I hate … Continue reading →

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The Invisible Gardener

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

What feelings emerged for you when you read last Friday’s post? Perhaps you were drawn to that idyllic picture of God and prayer, yet frustrated because it’s nothing like your experience. Perhaps for you, prayer is as dry and unattractive … Continue reading →

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The Gardener

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

How powerless the soil is to produce anything on its own. I am praying with Jesus’s parable of the sower and the seed. I can relate. No matter how hard I try, those three unreceptive soils are in me, impeding … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystical, Popular Posts, Poverty of Spirit, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We Are Not as Strong as We Think We Are

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I’m thinking about the things I do that hurt others and how I wish I wouldn’t do them. Thankfully, I have come to believe that God doesn’t despise me when I sin. Before I catch myself doing something wrong or … Continue reading →

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God, Here?

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

John the Baptist looks forlorn. I can almost hear him sigh. He is so discouraged by the Messiah, who isn’t what he expected, that he cannot see the beauty around him or the Lamb of God beside him. This painting has been … Continue reading →

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The Cost of Love

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

All this talk about embracing our weaknesses is fine until someone gets hurt. I’m less inclined to romanticize the notion when I see how my failings have wounded others or how theirs have wounded me. When that happens, I’m tempted … Continue reading →

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Lucky Bums

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

“Lucky bums!”  That’s how theologian Karl Barth described the poor in spirit who inherit God’s kingdom. Ever since someone mentioned that in our contemplative group, we have the urge to call each other “lucky bums.” It reminds us that we … Continue reading →

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Trapped

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Frustrated, stuck, trapped. That’s how I felt. That’s what I recorded in my account of a spiritual direction session. I had directed the session and was discussing it with five other spiritual directors who gather monthly for peer supervision. In supervision, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Popular Posts, Poverty of Spirit, Spiritual Direction, Stories, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment