Growing in Faith, Hope, and Love

This is a meditation/prayer that invites you to pray with the Communion of Saints - our loved ones and soul friends who now pray with and for us from their heavenly place.  As you listen to the meditation, feel welcome to pause after the prompts so you can spend as much time in quiet prayer as you need.  I originally wrote this for my students at Fordham Prep.  We prayed it together in our little chapel at school and I was overwhelmed by their heartfelt, deeply touching reflections.  I hope you will find this prayer fruitful as well. Best Wishes and God Bless You!

St. Ignatius did not want his Jesuits to burn out in a fit of what he called "zeal without knowledge."  He wanted their ministries to be fruitful over the long haul.  We know this as cura personalis - care for the person.  Our podcast explores the the roots of this spiritual principle and how can can apply its wisdom to our lives.

St. Ignatius affirmed that our choices should be oriented toward "the greater glory of God", that is, we should dedicate our time and energy to those things that will do the greatest good for the greatest number, the most "universal good." This goal is expressed in a principle called "magis." We explore the meaning and some misunderstandings of this key term.

The ascension is both a sacred event in the history of the church and a symbol of a paradox of the human condition - we can only give our presence more deeply by going away so that others can receive the full blessing of our spirits.

Easter is more than a commemoration of something that happened 2000 years ago. The resurrection of Jesus empowers us to live transformed lives now. Moreover we are invited to welcome this power into those places within and without that are most in need of light and new life.

As Jesus journeyed through his final days to his death, he role-modeled what it means to practice hope. We explore the difference between hope and optimism, and how hope invites us to tend God's work, no matter the circumstances.

Lent is modeled on the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, 40 days of facing the chaos that sought to tear him apart.  We are called to follow his example.  In this episode we highlight some reflection questions which might serve us as we do our lenten spiritual work.

A great commandment of the spiritual life is to bless others more and curse them less.  We explore how to bless, what "cursing" looks like and what it means to be a blessing.

Joseph role-models for us what it means to listen for the guidance of God and act on it; he teaches us that the loudest, most demanding, aggressive voices are not always voices of truth.

My Fordham Prep students and I recently concluded a study of Hinduism with a focus on this great tradition's teaching about non-violence.  This podcast summarizes foundational Hindu teaching that invites one to peaceful and non-violent living, with a focus on the example of Gandhi.

Purgatory is not a place of punishment, but a stage of loving; a time and space where we do the work of forgiving, reconciling, letting go.

Much like our physical health, our mental health needs care and tending.  We explore a few avenues of mental health self-care and how this work promotes spiritual vitality.  

What makes for a full, fruitful, meaningful joyful life?  We explore a centuries-old Jesuit approach to making the most of one's day, a way packed with wisdom for joie de vivre!

Though we profess to be a "peaceful" people, we are not taught the ways of peace-making nor do we know its role models.  Our reflections explore a step-by-step process for resolving conflicts.

Shame is a powerful, malevolent, oppressive energy that feels like an endless downward push, leaving one without the capacity to feel God's mercy.  Liberation from shame is part of what it means to be saved, to be redeemed.  We explore how we can journey from shame to healing with the help of God’s grace.

"Victim trap" thinking seduces us into identifying with a wound and living in a cycle of rehearsing old hurts, retelling painful stories, and living in the past.  But this is not God's desire and hope for us.  We explore how the resources of our spiritual tradition can help us move toward healing and wholeness.

We explore how we can talk with teens about a some important topics around sex - values, communication, boundaries, and consent.  Above all, we can help them to understand that sexuality is part of our spirituality and is a gift from God meant to be used properly.

Our culture tends to see apologizing as weakness.  The way of Christ, alternatively, is a way of self-knowledge, accountability, healing, reconciliation, and rectification.  We explore a spirituality of apology through a practical five-step approach.

The first Jesuits were very intentional about bringing a spirit of gentleness to their schools.  In this episode we explore the characteristics of a gentle approach to life, both inside and outside the classroom.

Among the most significant spiritual tasks we face is how to make the time of our ultimate parting abundantly fruitful.  As we walk with Jesus through Holy Week, he role models how in word and deed we can make our dying a gift of peace, forgiveness, and love.

When we burn the candle at both ends, the soul stages an insurrection in an attempt to bring us back to a place of balance.  We explore the signs of burnout and ways we can find rest and renewal.

Though sarcasm is an insincere and often hurtful way of communicating, our culture is saturated with it.  What does this reveal about us collectively?  We explore the roots of sarcasm and its toxic impact.

Spiritual practices nurture and nourish us, but like all things human, they have a shadow side too.  We explore "spiritual bypass" - the ways we use spirituality to suppress or smother undesirable emotions, life's complexities, woundedness or trauma.

The Christmas season highlights the presence of angels.  We hear of them in our carols, lectionary readings, favorite movies, and atop the trees.  Angels serve as divine messengers, guiding, inspiring, warning, teaching.  We explore how we can discern the presence of the angelic in our lives.

God's grace is consoling, healing, and liberating, but also shockingly disturbing.  God disrupts the status quo.  Our podcast explores how Advent invites to hold the "disturbing" power that seeks to be born anew, both within our hearts and in our world.

Shadow, Love, and Mercy

Part of the series "Why Ignatius Loyola Still Matters" : The First Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius invites us to know ourselves completely and unconditionally, including our shadow side.  As we courageously undertake this sacred work, we are held in a container of unconditional love and mercy.  Our reflection explores how Ignatius guides us on this journey into shadow and God's limitless compassion.

Praying with the Communion of Saints

Though loved ones have crossed to the other side of death, our relationships with them grow, deepen, and evolve.  We explore how the communion of saints invites to affirm that love is stronger than death and that we remain in community and communication with those who have died.

Why Ignatius Loyola Still Matters: The Foundation of a Meaningful Life

We explore the "Principle and Foundation", the first major meditation of the Spiritual Exercises.  Ignatius invites us to experience life rooted in intimacy with God, connected with creation, and deeply meaningful.

Ignatius lived 500 years ago, yet his approach to spirituality continues to inspire and transform lives, a sign that he discovered something archetypal that touches the human soul.  This episode explores how Ignatius' early life and experience of being wounded teaches us how God works in and through our feelings.

Part of our spiritual work is learning to discriminate among the competing voices and energies within, some of which are very loud and powerful but are not truth.  Our podcast explores how we discern which among these is of God.

As we journey toward deeper, more mature friendship with God, it can be helpful to have a guide and companion, what our tradition calls a "spiritual director."  Our podcast explores what spiritual direction is, and how it can support us in our journey to the holy.

Please feel welcome to contact me if you have any questions or would like to further discuss spiritual direction- brianbpinter@gmail.com

How do we remain connected with those we love after they have died?  I recently lost a soul-friend, and I am learning in a deeper way the truth that love is stronger than death.  We explore how our friendships endure when one goes to the other side.

Taking sabbath rest is a commandment for our good, not merely a suggestion.  We explore how we might more deeply enter into times set apart for rest and enjoyment.

The Shadow Side of Parenting

Experiences that push us, that turn up the emotional and spiritual heat, are sure to trigger our shadow side, and parenting is the ultimate pressure cooker!  We explore how confrontation with the shadow can be an opportunity to become better parents.

A Daily Hail Mary

The "Hail Mary" recalls and honors Mary's "yes" to God's invitation to cooperate with God's holy work in the world.  When we say this prayer we join her in that sacred "yes".  I have been saying a "Hail Mary" everyday upon waking, and I have found this to be a transformative experience.  I share a few reflections on this practice.

From Grieving to Transformation

The journey of grief opens us to the power and grace of resurrection - our wounds are not gone and forgotten, but transformed into light and new life.  We explore what this might look like for us.

How do we know our grief work is bearing fruit?  One infallible sign is when we don't feel the need to blame anyone anymore.  We also explore the invitation to share the journey with a soul friend, especially when we are working through "primordial wounds", i.e. those related to family and church.

Many of our LGBT+ brothers and sisters are feeling offended and hurt by the Vatican's announcement prohibiting the blessing of same sex unions.  I want to express my solidarity and empathy.  I trust and hope that the Spirit will in time lead our church to a more embracive, enlightened place on this issue.

Communities suffer traumas and wounds just as individuals do.  We explore why and how we can collectively do griefwork. 

We explore how nature has the power to mirror the soul and nurture us on the journey to healing and wholeness.

Allowing ourselves to weep as we grieve, allowing the tears to come symbolizes the watering of the seeds of transformation, seeds that will sprout as empathy, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness, mercy, and love.

How do we express grief in an embodied way?  We explore rituals that might help us tap into and expresses the grief we carry deep within.

Lent begins with ashes - an ancient symbol of grieving.  Our podcast explores how this season creates a container for us to do our grief work - an indispensable task of the spiritual journey.  We begin with this question - what do I need to grieve over?

How do our relationships with loved ones continue after they have crossed to the other side?  This episode explores the Christian dogma of the Communion of the Saints and how we are invited to experience connection, reconciliation, support and love from those who now pray for and with us from their heavenly place.

We explore how these moments are an essential passage on our journey to deeper, more mature faith.

In this podcast we explore how living with illness teaches essential truths and wisdom about the human condition, while inviting us to deeper trust in God and solidarity with others.

Jesus was born in a stable - the messiest, smelliest of places!  Likewise, God desires to be born in what we deem the least desirable, "smelliest" places in our hearts.  Our podcast explores how we can welcome the Divine Child into the places of woundedness, shame, and pain; those areas within that are most in need of transformation.

We explore the emotions that give rise to procrastination as well as perspectives on how might conquer this form of self-sabotage.

Many "energy vampires" are now at play in our lives - mask wearing, toxic politics, and a sense that we are "wandering in the desert."  All this creates a chemistry that devours a great deal of emotional and spiritual energy, leaving us feeling exhausted.  We name a few of these realities, as well as ways we can enhance our self-care.

We see that a careful reading of the Bible reveals that it was in Africa that major moments of salvation history unfold.  As we contemplate this reality, we might allow the furniture of our imagination regarding the Bible to be rearranged a bit.