“Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives.”
Pope Leo XIV, Message for Lent, 2026
What is the “center” of my schedule?
Do I build my days around work obligations? Around pickup or drop off for my children? Around my “to do list”?
What would it look like to place the mystery of God at the center of my schedule today?
A Mass Moment
Today at mass, before the Gospel, we will do something very simple. We’ve all done it a thousand times, often without thinking. It takes less than two seconds.
Listening for the Gospel - A small sign of the cross: on our forehead, on our lips, and on our heart.
Today, pick one of those to talk with God about. For example:
“A large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharasees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, ‘What do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’”
Normally I would have saved this one for April 15th, but alas, tax day does not fall during Lent this year. This Gospel makes me chuckle, because our disdain for taxes apparently stretches back millenia. But I digress…
Jesus’s message in today’s gospel is clear: Nobody is unwelcome at Christ’s table.
The First Station of the Cross
Jesus is Condemned to DeathMatthew 27:26
How absolutely awful does it feel to be accused of something you didn’t do? How angry does that make you?!
Some of the other 13 stations of the cross feel very far from our lived experience. I mean, who wears crowns of thorns anymore?
But this one you might be able to identify with. That feeling of “I didn’t do that! I would never do that!”, but somebody is convinced that you did.
Our sins are in the hands of God; those merciful hands, those hands 'wounded' by love. It was not by chance that Jesus willed to preserve the wounds in his hands to enable us to know and feel his mercy."
Homily of Pope Francis
Vatican Basilica, Altar of the Chair
Monday, 4 November 2013
Jesus's hands had wounds; ours do too.
Place yourself in the merciful hands of God.
If you need help holding something, ask the Lord to help.
‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6: 1, 5-6
Take this literally.
ISI welcomes the opportunity to journey alongside you during this Lenten season. We are grateful to share a series of short daily reflections curated by Mary Cathryn and Chris Ackels. Chris serves on the ISI Board, and together they offer this resource as a gift for prayer.
Below you will find what to expect and how to participate.
A film by The Jesuits of the European Low Countries introducing the life of Ignatius of Loyola. Story written by Rick Timmermans, illustrations by Jedi Noordegraaf, and animation by Rens Wegerif.
A short video by the Jesuits in Britain answering the question: What is Ignatian Spirituality?
The Ignatian Spirituality Institute is privileged to work with several Ignatian spiritual companions in the North Texas area. Through our application and interview processes, we are sometimes able to help seekers and directors find one another.
In Ignatian terms, We understand spiritual direction to mean helping one another discover and follow the path that directs us every deeper into relationship with Jesus Christ. We look for, and listen for, a Creator God laboring in love for each person and all of us together. We watch the intersections of life and faith and note our own experiences of the Lord in every day life. You can find more information about the Ignatian tradition of spiritual direction here.
The work of spiritual direction is to accompany you on your spiritual journey through spiritual conversations with persons formed and living in the Ignatian tradition of the Church. The Ignatian directors with whom we work are excellent listeners able help you reflect on your experience of God in prayer and everyday life.
If you are looking for an Ignatian spiritual director, let us know by clicking the button below and filling out the brief form. Once you have submitted the form, we will contact you via phone to explore further your hopes and the possibility of ISI helping you find a director in the North Texas area. Please allow about two weeks for us to respond.
Please remember our ability to match you with a director is dependent on your needs and the availability of our directors. ISI is not able to guarantee that an Ignatian spiritual director is available in your area, but we are open to exploring possibilities with you.
