Category Archives: Reflections

Loosening My Grip

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I’ve been walking with the image of the dead leaf dancing in the wind. With each step I hear, Peace before me. Peace behind me. Peace under my feet. I see a missed a call on my cell phone and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Reflections | Tagged David Haas, dead leaf, Esther Hizsa, Just right she sighed, Lenten Reflection, Let all around us be peace, loosening my grip, Luke 17:33, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Steve Corey | Leave a comment

Peace under Our Feet

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

During a silent retreat, I walked along the Pitt River. It was a blustery day and a zephyr of wind swept a few dead leaves into the air. They danced there for so long–swirling, dipping, and cresting–that I began to … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Reflections, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged Amancay Maahs, Charles Spurgeon, David Haas, Esther Hizsa, Father Matthew Linn, joy resting, Lovely Feet, Peace before Us, Peace dancing, Prayer for Peace, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Wednesday Lunch Club | 2 Comments

All of Me

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope,” I read in The Message and was comforted because that’s exactly where I was. But the beatitude didn’t end there. It went on to say, “With less of you, there is more … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Daniel Novta, Esther Hizsa, half a flower, lent, Martha Carlough, Matthew 5:3, Meeting Jesus in John, Salzburg Cross, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. John the Evangelist | Leave a comment

At the End of My Rope

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I was doing well for a while, then I gained back the weight I lost. Paul’s words in Romans come to mind. I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide … Continue reading →

Posted in Overeating, Poverty of Spirit, Reflections | Tagged AA, addiction, attachments, Esther Hizsa, Hold On, Isaiah 41:13, just.Luc, Overeating, Romans 7:18-25, spiritual director, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | 8 Comments

Waking Up

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I want to be fully awake to God. I’d like to live so aware of being in Christ that I rely on nothing other than God for my security or identity. A bird held by a single thread is still not … Continue reading →

Posted in False Self, Ignatian Spirituality, Reflections | Tagged A Rocha, addictions, Anthony de Mello, attachments, awareness, Breathing Underwater, David L. Clough, David L. Fleming SJ, Eating Peaceably, Esther Hizsa, Ignatius of Loyola, James Finley, On Animals, Regent College, Richard Rohr, Simon Bleasdale, Soul of Christ, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Two Standards, Vancouver School of Theology, Veganism, Wake up | 1 Comment

Adrift in an Ocean of Love

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

I’m thinking about my desire to know God’s love for me on God’s terms, not mine. James Finley said in a recent webinar Through the Dark Night, that we long for a sense of union with God that we will experience only … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystical, Poverty of Spirit, Reflections | Tagged Acts 17:28, Center for Action and Contemplation, Esther Hizsa, Geraint Rowland, James Finley, Listen to the Musn'ts, Marja Bergen, sailing around the world, Setting Sun Malecon Miraflores, Shel Silverstein, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Dark Night of the Soul, Tieras, Where the Sidewalk Ends | 2 Comments

A Glorious Thing

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

Two days before Christmas, I’m praying with the story of the shepherds. I imagine myself on a hillside with them, but I’m unaffected by the angels’ song. The shepherds hurry off to see this glorious thing that has happened, but I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged Dustin Gaffke, Esther Hizsa, Geometric Shapes, Girl Seated by Water, Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremy Braacx, love, Luke 2:8-20, Night Vision, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The View from a Hospital Bed, Winslow Homer | Leave a comment

The Underside

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Esther Hizsa

Christmas Day jangled me into another dimension. I found myself on “the underside,” living in a parallel universe where survival meant the monsters (anything and everything that causes me stress) had to be contained. Not an easy few days for … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Anne Yungwirth, Christmas, Esther Hizsa, Felipe Bastos, friends, Friendship, Greg2600, Poverbs 17:17, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stranger Things, stress, the underside, The Upside Down | Leave a comment

A Celebration Fit for a Down-to-Earth King

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Esther Hizsa

For a number of years now, Fred and I have hosted a Christmas meal for a dozen or so people on Christmas Day at New Life Community Church. Our guests are folks from the Wednesday Lunch Club who would be otherwise … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Reflections, Stories, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged Elizabeth Rooney, Esther Hizsa, Feast of Stephen, Jsm193, Lorenzo Lotto, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Adoration of the Shepherds, Wednesday Lunch Club | 1 Comment

The Word Became Flesh

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Esther Hizsa

Emmanuel when Jesus came he didn’t sneak in through the back door of poverty selling magic tricks for applause no Jesus came poor entered every day of every life and never left The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into … Continue reading →