Category Archives: Prayer

Enliven Us

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

Open in me the gates of the kingdom, I prayed before church on Sunday, hoping something in the service would enliven me. But God’s still, small enlivening was not in a hymn, the sermon or Eucharist as much as it … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections, Spiritual Direction | Tagged Esther Hizsa, Fred Hizsa, from Love of Love for Love, Galatians 6:2, Grade Two kids, Jacqueline Bergen, Joe Crawford, keys, Principle and Foundation, spiritual direction, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, Sr.Marie Schwan, Steve Imbach, Thomas Green | 4 Comments

This Is My Prayer

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

The kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy through the Holy Spirit Come, Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom. —Taizé Community Notice it’s not “open to us” but “open in us.” The gate is in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Poverty of Spirit, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Esther Hizsa, Jeff Imbach, kingdom of God, Living from the Heart, Mario, Michael D. O'Brien, Pray as you go, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Taizé, The Open Gate | 1 Comment

Living from the Heart

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

Today a new cohort will gather at Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island to begin the Living from the Heart course. I’ll be there too, co-facilitating with Deb, Jeff, and Brent. I expect the participants will be excited and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged 1 Corinthians 3:16, Esther Hizsa, Living from the Heart, Loise Docker, Love Heart, Psalm 32:8, SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | 1 Comment

Portage

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

“You’re the only one here who isn’t retired,” my brother said to me. I was with two of my siblings and their spouses at my brother’s cottage in Minnesota. They were planning a trip to France next year and welcomed … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Aging, Canoe, Esther Hizsa, Isaiah 48:6-7, Martin Cathrae, OakleyOriginals, portage, Praying, retirement, Rocky Portage, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Stoplog Canoes, Tarah, transitions, Unfolding LIght | Leave a comment

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 →