Category Archives: Stories

God’s Exuberant, Uncontainable Love

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

God’s crazy about us. If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you’d know that God has me riveted to this theme. God’s exuberance is uncontainable. Recently I stumbled upon this quote by Henri Nouwen, God does not require a pure heart before … Continue reading →

Posted in Easter, Popular Posts, Stories | Tagged Casey Brown, Father Richard Soo, God's delight, God's love, heart, Henri Nouwen, Isaiah 62:4, my delight is in you, Riccardo Cuppini, tonx | 5 Comments

A Retreat with God

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

As I prepared to go to Bowen Island for a three-day retreat, I got a divine nudge. “Leave your laptop at home,” God seemed to say. “Just come and be with me.” But I couldn’t possibly write much without my electronic friend. Hmm. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystical, Popular Posts, Prayer, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged Bowen Island, Fresh Wind Press, God's love, Jeremiah 31:3, Kathrin Burleson, Mike Stewart, Neil Brock, No Crowds Present, rest, retreat, work | 1 Comment

With Christ in Glory

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

I look at the naked, bloodied body next to me. “What’s he doing here?” A sinless man is being crucified beside us: me on his left, the other criminal on his right. The crucified always die in disgrace, our lives held up as negative examples. Yet, he is good. People called him rabbi, healer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Easter, Holy Week, Lent, Stories | Tagged Anima Christi, Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, crucifixion, David L. Fleming SJ, Good Friday, Heinrich Hoffmann, Luke 23; 32-46, Soul of Christ | 1 Comment

Stay with Me

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

See how tenderly the angels comfort Jesus in his anguish. He longed for such compassion from his friends, but they couldn’t do it. They disappeared into a panacea of sleep. We rely on Jesus to be with us in everything, but will we be with … Continue reading →

Posted in Holy Week, Ignatian Spirituality, Lent, Praying with the Imagination, Stories | Tagged Anthony Falbo, Contemplation of Place, Gethsemane, Ignatian Sprititual Exercises, lent, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 26:36-46, Maundy Thursday, praying with the imagination, Stay with me, The Hour is Near | 3 Comments

The Unending Miracle of Love

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

I felt my heart “strangely warmed,” like what happened to John Wesley at Aldersgate in 1738 when he knew for certain that he was saved, The same thing happened to the two travellers on the road to Emmaus. While they didn’t recognize the risen Christ walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Mystical, Popular Posts, Praying with the Imagination, Stories | Tagged embracing God, Emmaus Road, Fred, heart strangely warmed, Jaison Cianelli, John Wesley, Luke 24:35, mystical experience, The Cloud of Unknowing, unending miracle of love, Warm Embrace | 5 Comments

The Desire to Disappear

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

“Sometimes I wish I could disappear,” I told Father Elton once while I was doing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises last year. “Of course you do,” he said. “You want to do as you were told.” “What do you mean?” I … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Ignatian Spirituality, Lent, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged being present, desires of our heart, disappear, Ignatian Sprititual Exercises, prayer, Psalm 37:4, SIMindy | 3 Comments

Closed for a Reason

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Words bounce off my heart like rain on pavement. Not just any words. God’s words. They won’t go in. It’s like I’m closed, locked up tight. I sit with my Bible open on my lap and remember another time when … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Popular Posts, Stories, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | Tagged Astronomical Units, closed to God, Ecclesiastes 3, Exodus 17:5-7, hard heart, justmakeit, Psalm 16:2, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, We're Closed | 2 Comments

Facing the Page

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Deadlines intimidate me, especially when writing’s involved. I’ve learned the wisdom of waiting for a wave of creativity to carry me and not try to struggle against the tide. But a deadline says: Get going. You’ve used up your quota … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Stories, Writing | Tagged Bruce Cockburn, deadline, feather on the breath of God, Hildegard of Bingen, Isaiah 41:13, Jonathan Bliss, Lenten devotional, Luke 15, Luke 15 sermon, Megan Yungwirth, Pacing the Cage, sermon writing, writing process | 2 Comments

Judgment Day

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I got off the scale and on it again. The reading was the same. It’s been months since I’ve been to the gym. I knew I’d gained weight, but this was ten more pounds than … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Overeating, Stories | Tagged Chelsea Panos, Garen Meguerian, grace, gym, hope, Jillian Michaels, John 1:16, judgement day, judgment, Scary scales, weight gain, work out | 2 Comments

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 →