The Way 442: Never think badly of anyone, not even if the words or conduct of the person in question give you good grounds for doing so. http://goo.gl/g6rgdS
442
Five Tips for Beating Loneliness from St. Ignatius
A recent study revealed an epidemic of loneliness in America. Loneliness and social isolation isn’t limited to America, though; it’s a global scourge that Pope Francis has addressed:
There are no longer close personal relationships. Today’s culture seems to encourage people not to bond with anything or anyone, not to trust…At the root of so many contemporary situations is a kind of impoverishment born of a widespread and radical sense of loneliness. Running after the latest fad, accumulating “friends” on one of the social networks, we get caught up in what contemporary society has to offer. Loneliness with fear of commitment in a limitless effort to feel recognized. (Address to Bishops at the World Meeting of Families, September 27, 2015)
St. Ignatius Loyola knew from his experience of extreme penitence at Manresa that isolation is not healthy. By turning inward and focusing only on his own thoughts and the parts of himself that he despised, he neglected to recognize God’s love for him. Years later, when he founded the Society of Jesus, he ensured that his brothers would always remain in community so as to avoid this pitfall.
What wisdom might Ignatius share with us today as we contend with this epidemic of loneliness?
1. Know your worth.
St. Ignatius opens the Spiritual Exercises by inviting the retreatant to reflect upon self-worth in light of God’s unconditional love for us. Jesuit Fr. Mark Thibodeaux elaborates upon this mediation most beautifully: “Reflect on the staggering, almost unbelievable notion that all the things of the earth were created with my benefit in mind—that God, billions of years before my birth, considered my personal needs and my unique desires while creating the universe.” (God’s Voice Within, 140) Recognize that God created you out of love for you and has placed you on earth at this time and place for a particular purpose. You are important. You are necessary.
2. Discern your mission.
Pope Francis tells us, “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing.” (Evangelii Gaudium 273) In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius offers effective methods to help us discern our personal mission in life, which will lead to us living with more joy and encountering others with similar missions as we work together.
3. Maintain a support network.
“It is absolutely crucial that I have a strong support network following close behind me, cheering me on, booing the false spirit, whispering tips in my ear, and passing me Gatorade. I will need good mentors, good companions, and a strong link to the church.” (God’s Voice Within, 73) We all need a trusted circle of friends and mentors who will keep us on track. And we need to keep our network strong by investing time in these relationships.
4. Build bridges.
Wherever he went and wherever he sent his brother Jesuits, Ignatius sought to build bridges. Pope Francis continues this tradition today when he speaks of his desire to build a “culture of encounter.”
There indeed we find true healing, since the way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbor, of finding God in every human being…and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does…Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! (EG 92)
When we come into dialogue with a mutual respect for the other, listening deeply, we build bridges of trust and make our lives fuller and our communities stronger.
5. Live generously.
Ignatius missioned his fellow Jesuits to be men of service to others. Pope Francis continues to extend this call to serve today. We serve, he says, because “God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God’s glory. Every human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives.” (EG 274) When we serve others, it helps us to gain perspective, inspires gratitude, and nourishes both giver and receiver, bringing us closer together.
As people of hope, we can turn the tide on loneliness. We might start by asking: What gifts do I have that God is calling me to share with others? In what way is God calling me to participate in God’s work by answering the prayers of another? Together, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can infuse joy into our communities and banish the suffering of loneliness.
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash.
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Letter of James 4:13-17.
Beloved : Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”– you have no idea what yo
ur life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.” But now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.
Spark of the Day
Progress happens when your good habits consistently outway your bad ones. -bkw
St Jude time
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Hours/Hours?px=2218929&pg=personal&fr_id=91257 Asking a thousand friends for $5. Can you donate to the kids today?
Simon Quote of the day.
It’s better to endure the discomfort of the truth now than suffer the discomfort of the lie later.
The Serum! Lesson: JUST DO THE NEXT RIGHT THlNG
Whether you are struggling to overcome a pattern of defeat, yearning for inner peace. trying to create lasting happiness, Meshing to succeed in your career, desperately trying to oven. come procrastination, or battling with an addiction, this lee. son holds the key for you. just do the next right thing. In each moment, just keep doing the next right thing. You cannot think your way out or talk your way out of these problems, You acted your way into them, and you must act your way out of them. You must act in the sense of action, not in the sense of pretense. It is purposeful action that will lead you to become a-better-version~of-yourself, and action is the key to progress. Whenever you get into a funk, just do the next right thing. And keep doing the next right thing. You will be amazed at how quickly you work yourself out of the funk if you approach it in this way. Don’t worry about next week or next month or next year. Just do the next right thing and keep doing the next right thing, and gradually you will act your way out of destructive patterns. You cannot think or pray or wish or hope yourself out of the pattern that is holding you back. You must act your way out of it, one moment at a time.
One moment at a time, by simply doing the next right thing, you will move from confusion to clarity, from misun~ ‘ derstanding to insight, from despair to hope, from darkness to light, and discover your truest self, the unique person God designed you to be.
GOD has a very interesting way of getting our attention.
THE VETERAN’S Cross…
GOD has a very interesting way of getting our attention.
This cross was put up on this mountain many years ago to honour the veterans of world war II.
These pictures were taken during the Southern California fires. It is the last picture that is so awesome.
This must have b
een really something for those fire fighters who witnessed it…
Notice the cross on the bottom right of the hill near the fire….
Before the very last picture in the below sequence.
The next day.
Even the fire fighters who were near the cross as it was surrounded with flames, said it was going to be destroyed. The next day, Gene Blevins (photographer) went back to the scene to get some more shots. He saw that the cross was not even touched or scorched from the heat.
IF THAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU THINK, I don’t know what will!
May God’s richest and best be yours always!
Olivia is raising money to go to NCYC.
Olivia is raising money to go to NCYC. She needs to sell around 50 of 3 packs of Moisture Therapy. Perfect time of year. Please let us know if you would like a set of 911-615, or 901-339, or 911-653. You can direct message Kirsten Pless-watson or Liv Watson or Bryan K Watson. It will be $12 cash or check made to St Ann Bartlett or you can send $12.50 to Bryan K Watson’s PayPal to bryanemid@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for looking a maybe buying a set or two. Your hands will thank you too 
our goal is 50 sets. We will post here if and when we hit our goal. Full disclosure the trip is $520 and we have already deposited $320 of the trip. Thank you Karen Casey McGlaughlin for all you do for our kids.
