Unconditional Love

God’s profound love proclaims that our worth isn't tied to our actions or achievements. Love, in its purest form, is not something we earn either by adhering to commandments or even by our fervent prayers.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Prayer, Relationships, Religious InsightsPepe RuizOctober 14, 2024Unconditional Love, Spiritual Growth, God's Love, Compassion, Acceptance, Self-Worth

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

Knowing that our Heavenly Father forgives our sins allows us to forgive. This spiritual dimension of forgiveness highlights its importance not just in our relationships with others, but in our relationship with God.

Christian Living, Compassion, Conflict Resolution, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Insights, Spiritual PracticesPepe RuizSeptember 16, 2024Forgiveness, Inner Peace, Jesus' Teachings, Emotional Healing, Spiritual Growth, Our Father, Compassion

Images of God

It's about discerning the difference between the God of our imagination and the God who speaks to us through scripture, through the profound experiences of grace and love that punctuate our lives.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Religious Insights, Prayer, Spiritual PracticesPepe RuizJuly 8, 2024Faith, God, Spiritual Exploration, True Essence of God, Scripture, Grace, Love, Misconceptions, Divine Truth, Relationship with God

Trusting Jesus

As we navigate the challenges of life, these words become our beacon, guiding us towards a deeper connection with Jesus. They remind us that our faith is not in vain, that in Jesus, we find a relentless advocate, a friend who assures us of our place in Paradise.

Comfort, Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Prayer, Religious InsightsCamilla MaravillaJune 24, 2024Faith, Trust, Jesus, Promise, Paradise, Scripture, Grace, Love, Cross, Journey

Recognizing the Risen Lord in Our Lives

Unlocking Divine Presence: A Journey of Recognition Amid Life's Challenges

Christian Living, Religious Insights, Lent and Easter, Prayer, Personal Growth, Faith and ReflectionPepe RuizNovember 27, 2023Montserrat Jesuit Retreat HouseRisen Lord, Recognizing Jesus, Emmaus, Spiritual Relationship, Christian Faith, Spiritual Guidance, Easter Reflection, Building Faith, Consolation in Christ, Fr. Mike French SJ

Finding Communion Through Life’s Crosses

Discover the Journey: From the Cross to Resurrection, Finding God's Presence in Life's Trials

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Insights, TransformationPepe RuizNovember 13, 2023Montserrat Jesuit Retreat HouseLife's Crosses, Spiritual Journey, Communion with God, Christ's Resurrection, Personal Struggles, Fr. Mike French SJ, Fr. Pepe Ruiz SJ, Faith and Vulnerability, Divine Embrace

Opening the Door to God's Love

Experience the Unconditional Love of God: Embracing His Presence in Your Life

Faith and Reflection, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Insights, Christian Living, Transformation, Spiritual PracticesPepe RuizNovember 3, 2023Montserrat Jesuit Retreat HouseReconnecting with God, Unconditional Love, Jesus Knocking, Book of Revelation, Spiritual Growth, Fr. Mike French SJ, Christian Reflections, Opening Your Heart to God

Blessed Are the Merciful: Embracing Divine and Human Mercy

Discover the Divine Mercy in Everyday Acts: Exploring the Beauty of Compassion and Kindness

Faith and Reflection, Christian Living, Personal Growth, Relationships, Prayer, Religious Insights, Spiritual Practices, TransformationPepe RuizOctober 23, 2023Montserrat Retreat HouseMercy, Divine Mercy, Human Mercy, Love of Neighbor, Samaritan, Prayer for Peace, Perfectionism, Fr. Joe Tetlow SJ, Christian Faith

Overcoming the Temptation of Feeling Unworthy in Prayer

Sometimes when we're trying to pray, we might feel like we're not good enough or important enough for God to care about. But that's just a temptation, it's also an insult to God who created us and loves us as we are. When we're thinking that way, we're not really turning our minds towards God but towards ourselves, instead of remembering that God's promise is to answer us when we call on Him. We would do good to remember that Jesus showed us through His actions that He cares for everyone, no matter how insignificant we might feel, so when we feel like we're too miserable to pray, we should turn to Him and ask Him to heal us too. He's waiting for us to ask.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Religious Insights, PrayerPepe RuizJanuary 4, 2023Montserrat Jesuit Retreat HousePrayer, Self-Worth, God's Love, Fr. Joe Tetlow SJ, Faith

Loving Yourself: Understanding Jesus' Example

Loving yourself? Well, if you put God first, you’re loving yourself because we are created to love God, and loving Him leads to eternal life.

Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith and Reflection, Personal Growth, Prayer, Religious Insights, Spiritual PracticesPepe RuizNovember 2, 2022Montserrat Jesuit Retreat HouseSelf-love, Jesus' Teachings, Spiritual Growth, Fr. Joe Tetlow SJ, Christian Living, Love Thy Neighbor

What God Wants

When we hesitate to ask God for what we want, we are already not doing what God wants.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Ignatian Spirituality, Personal Growth, Religious Insights, Prayer, Serving Others, Spiritual PracticesGuest UserMay 26, 2022Jesus, God, grace, gifts, love, enjoy, joy

Easter Light

We have all been told at various times in our lives to share openly what is on our minds and hearts. Especially when upset or angry, keeping things inside and letting them fester day after day is a temptation to avoid.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Religious Insights, Serving Others, Spiritual PracticesGuest UserMay 18, 2022Jesus, God, grace, gifts, love, enjoy, joy

Lent and Easter Season, Sorrow and Joy

First Lent, then Easter. Jesus told us: You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy (Jn.16:20). We sorrow at the awful grief that humanity inflicts on itself: genocide in Ukraine, millions of abortions, and little children living hungry and lonely.

Welcome Jesus

Advent preparation is finally over, and the Christmas feast now begins! Probably for most of us, there was a lot to do in the time we were given to prepare Him room—and there still is. Among other things we have already searched, shopped, mailed, cooked, cleaned, decorated, baked, and visited quite a bit already.

Christian Living, Compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Faith and Reflection, Prayer, Religious Insights, Spiritual PracticesGuest UserJanuary 5, 2022Jesus, God, knocking, door, revelation, Christmas, feast, open arms, Mary, Joseph, welcome

God's Christmas Happiness

We are happy when we come to the solemn midnight at Christmas, full of joy and peace. It's really worth noting that God our Father is also full of joy and peace on…

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Ignatian Spirituality, Religious Insights, Spiritual Practices, Prayer, RelationshipsEmilee McHoneDecember 20, 2015Christmas, Fr. Joe Tetlow, God, Jesus, Born, Holy, Father, Angels, Happiness

Waiting, But Not Alone

Everything about Advent points to the future. Here are some thoughts about that. First, getting to the future means waiting. You have to wait. Mary had to wait, and Joseph, too. He had to wait because he's the one who will give the baby His name.

Give Thanks

We are about to celebrate thanksgiving as a civil holiday. We symbolize in this celebration that we are a nation "under God," and a people gathered from the east and from the west, from the north and the south, and made one nation. Let's make sure we are grateful by checking in on the three crucial steps.

Christian Living, Faith and Reflection, Ignatian Spirituality, Personal Growth, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Practices, Serving OthersSamantha McHoneNovember 22, 2015Thanksgiving, give thanks, Holiday, under God, America, Creation, Greatful, God

Persevere in Prayer

In my encounters with the faithful, everyone seems to express a longing for a better relationship with God. Most of them have some kind of difficulty with prayer. Finding time to pray or making prayer time meaningful are common struggles.