Mar
22
So my colleagues at Charis Ministries in Chicago have asked a rather provocative question: Why Should Pope Francis attend a Charis Retreat? And so I would like to offer the Top 10 reasons why a Ignatian Retreat and specifically a Charis Retreat would benefit the likes of Papa Francisco. 1) A Transition is a Great …
Mar
10
A Jewish woman who survived the concentration camps tells the story of the train ride to Auschwitz. She was with her little brother…and she looked down at him on the train and noticed that he didn’t have any shoes on. And she screamed at him, “What is WRONG with you? Can’t you keep you things …
Dec
30
When speaking of saints Thomas Merton reminds us that all you have to do to become a saint is to want to be one. Being a saint is simply to become the best version of who you already are. And I can think of no better image for a Holy Family. But are we always …
Dec
16
Many people say that words fail us during these times of great challenge, when parents can’t even send their kids to kindergarten. I respectfully disagree. I can say that many of us don’t know what to say during times when horrendous situations befall us, and to protect ourselves from saying something stupid, we say nothing. …
Nov
19
Here is a reflection from last night’s apocalyptic Sunday readings: Hey! What’s new? That can be a catch up line…But “what’s new” can also be scary. After all, who knows what day it will be when our world ends? The Mayans tell us that the world will end of December 21, 2012 at 11:11 …I’m …
Oct
01
A dental student last year asked one of his classmates a provocative question before their big gross anatomy test. “Linda, would you cut off your “ring finger toe” in exchange for an “A” on this test?” I quickly pointed out that if he was about to take an anatomy test and the only way he …
Sep
21
So today out first year Medical and Dental students took their first big exam in gross anatomy. For longtime readers, you’ll remember that each year I give out these little stress dolls to the students to keep them loose: He doesn’t look like ME at all. But isn’t he cute? Scrubs, big teeth for the …
Sep
03
On this Labor Day, my friend Paula Kampf reminded me of the rights of workers to be free. And that kind of reminded us of this song: My book Loving Work has been published and released on this fine day when we celebrate work. It makes a great gift for all those who have worked …
Aug
30
In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius the third week of the exercises are focused on the transformative experience of the cross. We reflect directly on the experience of the cross in our lives and often meditate imaginatively on Calvary. A friend of mine once felt like he was stuck in the third week on …
Aug
29
When looking for the best person for a job we often say that a person’s gifts or talents are what are most required for them to gain that position. But Jesuit Father Michael Buckley wrote a piece awhile back that challenges that assumption for the priesthood. I would challenge that this is true for nearly …
Mike Hayes is an author, commentator, Campus Minister and Spiritual Director. He founded the award winning BustedHalo.com in 2001 and wrote the book Googling God with Paulist Press in 2007. Mike is currently a Campus Minister at The University at Buffalo where he serves on the staff of St Joseph University Church. He is available for speaking engagements, retreats and personal spiritual direction.Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.
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