Blog Post #2 - Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blog Post #2
Wednesday, July 3, 2013

With just about two weeks to go until the Ignatian Camino, I am feeling eager, excited, and restless to begin!

In the past weeks I have been pondering and praying about Ignatian Spirituality and all that it brings to life. In these ponderings, I have been filled with weight and wonder aroiund the topics and theology of God in all things and who I interact with each day, reflecting on emotions, God in my family, being open to the "now," intersections of oppression, friends who are getting married, my future, and more. I think about gratitude and all that I have to be grateful for in my life, such as the opportunity to walk the Camino Ignaciano. In my preparation for the Camino and just because I want to read it, I have been reading The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything by James Martin, S.J. (as seen below). I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book thus far, and it has provided me with a source of theoretical and theological engagement and challenge. I have also reflected on love in this book and the topics on love that James Martin brings up early on in his book; I am moved by his openness on the topic of love, as well on other components of daily/weekly/monthly Jesuit life.

The Jesuits are called to move and live around the world, on an eternal "pilgrimage," per say. I have been reflecting on this for the Jesuits and also for my life; I am now solidly in my mid-twenties and feel at peace in this age period. I still want to continue to travel the country and world though, to continue to my pilgrimage. I feel torn about wanting to do this when I am with beloved friends from the Midwest who I have been able to spend golden time with this past June. Being with them makes me think remember that it will not be bad to set down roots some day, and to do it in a city and a community of people who I hold close to my heart. HERE is more information about the history of The Way of St. Ignatius (or Camino Ignaciano), which speaks to the ongoing journey of this pilgrimage - and of life in general - for St. Ignatius and for pilgrims like me.

It is clear that St. Ignatius of Loyola started to recognize and experience more gratitude, in different ways, after he was hit by the cannonball and experienced isolated recovery. His changed spirit and, thus, changed thinking patterns through God, encouraged him to focus more on how he could be aware of and grateful for his life. With gratitude can also come love, in all forms, which I know is a focus of mine throughout the pilgrimage. "Contemplation to attain love in our pilgrimage" is the focus of Day 28 on the pilgrimage, as seen on the Camino Ignaciano webpage HERE. This phrase is beautifully simple and also indefinitely complex.

It is important to recognize how other spiritualities contribute to testimonies of community and faith, recognition that should be had in the following quote by the Iroquois Nation. "We bind ourselves together by taking hold of each other's hands so firmly and forming a circle so strong that if a tree should fall upon it, it could not shake or break it." 

This is the symbol for the Jesuits; it's a Latinization of the Greek IHC (Iota Eta Sigma), being the first three letters of the Greek form of Jesus: IHCOYC.

Recently I have been reflecting on the March 2013 immersion to Colombia that I co-led with two other Resident Ministers through University Ministry at the University of San Francisco. In the picture above some of the USF students and I are dancing with children in an indigenous village. I feel very grateful to have been able to work and experience international immersions through the Jesuits, which have opened my mind and heart more to the world (and also more to my own history). My recent reflections on the Colombia immersion have helped me to contemplate how my world will change and what I will learn during the Ignatian Camino. I feel open to experiencing what comes on the Camino and to the intricate connection that all humans hold. I believe there is a thread of spirit that connects us all.

Here I am in front of one of the main University of San Francisco signs; I'll return to this home on July 29.

This is the view of a sunrise from the apartment I lived in for two years on the University of San Francisco campus. I cherished this apartment and the phenomenal view (and sunrises) from my windows. This view filled me with gratitude and astonishment, made me ponder the amazing beauty in creation in San Francisco and throughout our world, and makes me think of the following quote by English essayist and novelist C.S. Lewis: "I believe in God like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but because of it all things are seen."                             

Blog Post #1
Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hello, and welcome to my blog about the Camino Ignaciano (Ignatian Camino) pilgrimage walk! 

I will be participating in this journey (as a University Ministry employee) from July 14-28, 2013 in Spain through the University of San Francisco (USF) with staff, faculty, and trustees of USF. I look forward to getting to know the other people in my walking group and know that we will have A LOT of time to get to know one another - walking, eating, woshiping, praying, joking, and more. There will be fifteen people my group, about half of which are from the University of San Francisco. I will be blogging about my reflections, experiences, revelations, and more in this space when I can. Because I will have very limited access to technology during the actual Camino (if any internet access at all), many of my posts will come after the walk. I look forward to sharing this experience with the reader and to learning more about my God and myself.

HERE is the link to the Camino Ignaciano webpage, which will tell one all about the details of the Camino. 

HERE is more information about St. Ignatius of Loyola, with insight into Ignatian Spirituality read HERE. 

 This is the logo of University Ministry at the University of San Francisco. Where is your center?

 These two amazing images are on the door of my dad's office at Silver Lake College in WI. Enough said.

 Gandhi, thank you for this powerful, relevant quote; I think it quite fitting for this Camino and life in general.

With three weeks until the Ignatian Camino (Camino Ignaciano) pilgrimage walk, I am feeling excited, humbled, and in awe for what is to come on this spiritual and religious journey. In the past couple weeks I get flashes of the pilgrimage scenes to come in my mind, glimpses that fill me with curiosity and peace. I have my tickets purchased, Euros in hand, and a handful of items purchased for the trip so far, such as a hiking pack, socks, hiking shoes, quick dry leggings, books, and a Nalgene. The sight of my new Nalgene makes me sentimental for my college years, which is when I first started using one as a camp counselor and continued to hike with it after that, such as during my time studying abroad in Wales. Just the sight of a Nalgene represents nourishment, hiking, and adventure to me, all of which I believe the Ignatian Camino will involve.

I am no longer in college though - now I am guiding and leading college students on their own journeys through my work in University Ministry at the University of San Francisco and taking an entirely new journey of my own on the Camino Ignaciano. Amongst other things, the Camino represents a time of recollection, renewal, and re-application (I love to use alliteration as much as possible!!), and it is during a transitional period in my young adult and professional life. I look forward to walking and living in community, to learning more about the life and landscapes of St. Ignatius of Loyola (who started the Jesuit order), to breathing in the culture, to physical challenge, to practicing Ignatian Spirituality, and to visiting (religious) communities.  I am incredibly grateful to be able to participate in this pilgrimage and am looking forward to being abroad. I can only imagine what I will have to reflect upon at the end of each day and will use The Examen, as read below.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

I believe that the following prayer by Teilhard de Chardin, SJ can describe where I am at in this phase of "Camino anticipation." As I move forward in this prayer, I will mull over Jose Gonzalez' song "Crosses," which I have loved since college and an amazing Jesuit I worked with used during a student retreat.

"Patient Trust"
-Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

 Here's my new Nalgene for all my hydration needs!

 This poster is at a local Goodwill-owned cafe I love and used to work at with youth and young adults. I think that the poster message at hand is vital and want to make this blog space out to be a "liberation space."

 A week ago I bought my new Keens for the road.

Here are my new hiking/running leggings, which I also bought in pink. Let's hear it for dry fit clothing in humid Spain!

My dad bought this Rosary for me for the Camino.

I worked with the St. Ignatius Institute living-learning community at the University of San Francisco for two years.

 

Here I am.

Here he is - St. Ignatius of Loyola.

My spirituality and religion in the world as a woman are very important to me, and this image speaks to part of them!