Category Archives: Prayer

Before the Miracle

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Esther Hizsa

I close my eyes, enter into my imagination, and arrive at the wedding in Cana. I take it all in–joyful chatterolives and garlicky hummusdangling earrings and earnest facesfreshly baked bread and wafts of perfumethe earthen goblet in my hand. Who am … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let God Love You

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Esther Hizsa

“You can always come home to God, and God can always be found wherever you are, right at the centre of your soul.” I heard Danielle Shroyer say in this podcast while I was making dinner one evening. “The purpose … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Advent 4: Silence

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

As I began my four-day retreat last week, I became aware of how uncomfortable I was with the silence–especially in the evening when it was dark, and I couldn’t go for walk or gaze at the sea. I wanted something … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, autism, Christmas, compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Advent 3: Restless

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” –Luke 9:58 (NRSVUE) I want to lay my head on the satisfactionof believing that … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Christmas, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Advent 2: Trust

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

Life is a succession of dyings and risings. At the center of the Eucharist, we proclaim, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.”–Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, November 27, 2022 This morning I saw minuscule buds on my … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Christmas, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Advent 1: Touch

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I waited for You at the door of wordsbut they were little more thanletters on a pageundecipherable my feelings far away.Did I have any? I fidgeteddistractedpowerless.  Then, through the locked door,You came. “Touch my face,” You said Lost feelingsfound tears. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Christmas, compassion, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bloom

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I grew up in rural Ontario and attended Wellburn United Church which was part of a three-point charge. I remember the aisle I walked down on my wedding day, the pew where I received my first communion, and where the … Continue reading →

Posted in Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weather

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I looked out at the vast ocean and up at the big blue sky as Fred and I walked the aptly named Long Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. A few minutes later, we stopped to shed another … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections, Resource, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turning Toward

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

I was the last one to sit down at our table. Our table was in a hall with one hundred and fifty other guests celebrating my niece’s wedding at a YMCA camp at Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota. My place at that … Continue reading →

Posted in Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My First Podcast Interview

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Esther Hizsa

On Hints of Gladness, spiritual director and coach Rod Janz interviewed a number of spiritual directors about contemplation. I was thankful to be one of them. In our conversation, Rod asked what contemplation means to me and what it looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Resource, Stories, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments